Angel Bird
by ComedyMagmar
Summary: Fox McCloud has it hard; his parents were murdered, he's a loner, and the girl he has fallen for can't be his. Then the real tradegy hits him when his best friend is killed...
1. Wishing You Were Mine

Story - Angel Bird

Rating - PG-13 for violence of all kinds (comic fighting, sci-fi fighting, blood and death), mild language and some sexual references.

Plot — Fox McCloud's life is pretty rough; his parents are dead, he's an complete loner, and the girl he has fallen in love with can never be his. Then, during the second Super Smash Brother tournament, his closest friend is murdered. Fox, torn apart by anguish and frustration, must get to the bottom of his friend's murder.

Main Characters — Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Zelda Gaiden.

Author's Note — This is my first serious story that I'm writing. Normally, I don't write angst stories, but a friend of mine likes them. So I'm trying not angst for the first time, but also a serious story too! Hopefully, it's not going to be a failure, for I've worked hard on this.

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Chapter 1 - Wishing You Were Mine

My name is Fox McCloud.

I was born on the beautiful planet Corneria, which is the forth planet of the Lylat System. I'm mostly known for being the leader of Star Fox, a group of mercenaries-for-hire that my father, James McCloud, started. He worked alongside his two friends, Peppy Hare and Pigma Dengar.

When I was five, an assassin, sent by the madman Andross murdered my mother. Andross was a demented scientist who almost destroyed all beauty and life in the Lylat system. The Star Wolf team couldn't handle the power of the huge, evil army Andross had mysteriously built up. Yet due to brave and excellent skills General Pepper, another of my dad's friends, Andross was banished to Venom.

My dad tried his best to raise me, be the leader of the Star Fox team, and have a normal life at the same time. I learned to take care of myself when he was gone, and I did well in school. Education, that is. The other students didn't like me for many reasons. I was a loner, apart from one friend. His name was Slippy Toad. He was a year or two younger than I was, and while he somehow found himself in many awkward situations, he was a very smart kid with incredible imagination.

When I was nine, my dad had to go investigate Venom, due to strange activity. The Star Fox team was gone for five months, and I can remember lying in bed, hoping that my dad was okay. Slippy was the only company I had, and it was well appreciated, even if he was a bit of a chatterbox.

Then, Peppy Hare came back from Venom, alone. He had escaped Andross's grasp, and brought back the worst news I could have dreamed of.

My father was dead. Pigma had betrayed them. But what hurt and scared me the most was that my father, my only family left, had been murdered by Andross. Just like my mother.

Peppy became a stepfather to me. He knew me better than anyone else, and considered it his job to bring up his best friend's son. He started training me to be a pilot, and by the time I was fifteen, I was better than even he was.

Also by the time I was fifteen, I had befriended Falco Lombardi, a sarcastic and adventurous guy with a heart of gold underneath his tough exterior. Falco was my closest friend, and he was like my brother. Ever since we had bonded at school, we were practically unseperatable. He helped keep me from being a complete loner, and I helped him from being doing too many dangerous and stupid things.

Peppy taught Falco and Slippy how to fly and pilot an Arwing, the best fighter plane ever made. Falco turned out to be pretty good, almost as good as me. Slippy crashed-landed more times in the training course more than every Arwing pilot in history combined, but he stuck to it.

While Slippy was not the best pilot ever, he more than proved his worth in his inventions. He was very intelligent, and building things turned out to be something he was not only good at, but also a master at. He designed the Landmaster, a tank that was beyond years of army intelligence. He also designed the Blue Marine with his father, a submarine that was so amazing, Slippy and his father won a prize for it. I can't quite remember what the name was off the top of my head.

With Falco, Slippy, Peppy and myself, we made a darn fine team. I was sixteen when we were called out We helped fight against Andross, as my father did. We met Star Wolf, which was composed of four evil beings. One of them was Pigma, the man who betrayed my father. Another was Wolf O'Donnell, a rude punk who had bothered me throughout my years in school. The other two were Leon Kame and Andrew Andross, who is Andross's nephew.

General Pepper was able to push back Andross again (with the help of us, of course). The Star Wolf team fled to some place they could call safety. Now the Star Fox team wasn't needed for much.

Then one day, General Pepper was called to attention by a galaxy called the Milky Way. There was a planet called Earth' that was hosting a tournament called the Super Smash Brothers'. It wanted the finest heroes to come together and train together. The idea was to bring races, people and even galaxies closer together, in hopes of forming alliances. They would spend most of the year together, about nine months in total, which was equal to a year of school for me. General Pepper chose me, believing that I would represent the Lylat system best.

The first year at this tournament was fairly popular, and I did all right, I believe. I was able to win a few rounds, and was able to improve in my fighting skills. I was disappointed that flying a fighter plane was something that wasn't needed, but I was able to live with it.

We trained in a system that was like virtual reality. We were teleported' to an arena, where we would face off against opponents. We felt no pain, even when the hardest or sharpest blows were delivered. Damage was racked up by numbers, and the more blows you took, the higher the number would go. So, instead of feeling pain from being hit, we would be thrown distances when hit by our opponents. It was an interesting concept, but not as interesting as my co-fighters.

Mario was probably the most famous of us all. He dressed as a plumber, but he didn't behave like one. For instance, he could pelt fireballs at opponents and he had amazing jumping skills. The guy was very quiet but he was a very nice guy. He told us about his girlfriend, Peach Toadstool, who was a princess.

Luigi was Mario's brother. He said he was popular too, but didn't have as much adventure as Mario did. He was a plumber too, yet his clothes were different colors, and he was taller than his brother was. He's very shy, but he still made friends with everyone.

Pikachu and Jigglypuff part of a species called Pokémon'. They only at first could say their names, but we all worked together so that they could speak English. They were cheerful little critters, who had interesting powers and impressive strength.

Ness was a young boy who had arcane psychic powers. He said his girlfriend had taught him new moves before this tournament, and he was very good at using elemental powers and kid toys for weapons.

Captain Falcon and Samus Aran were both bounty hunters, yet they didn't know each other until this tournament. Samus was a mercenary, like myself, while Captain Falcon was also a famous F-Zero racer. I was able to get along with them all right, but the two couldn't get along. They usually squabbled, but I could see how much the two admired the other's skills.

Donkey Kong was a gorilla who could, impressively, speak English and think intelligently. He wore a monogrammed tie, and he was, without a doubt, the strongest of us all. Barely any of us could survive his Giant Punch attack if we were at high percentages.

Yoshi was the spunkiest, most friendly member of us all. He was an amazing creature; happy, helping and cheerful. He had unlimited energy, and he usually spent time with Mario and Luigi.

Kirby was an interesting guy with the power to copy our powers. He didn't talk much, but he ate more than enough food! He was cheerful, almost as much as Yoshi. For a round, pink guy, he proved to be an awesome battler!

Link was an exceptional battler, who was an expert at swordsman skills. He was a very quiet guy, barely speaking at all. From what I heard from the others, he was a real girl magnet'. He told us that he had a girlfriend at his home, and her name was Zelda.

For the nine months we spent together, I spent most of my time alone. Maybe because I wanted to be, or maybe the others could tell I was the loner' type of person. Yet I was able to get along with everyone okay. Nobody disliked me, and I was okay with all of the members there.

After the nine months were over, I went back home. I spent lots of time with Falco, Peppy and Slippy, for I had missed them during the nine months. I also turned seventeen, and they held a birthday party for me. Slippy gave me a one of his new inventions for his present, which included a rapid-shooting laser gun.

The tournament had turned out to be a huge success, bigger than I think the creators thought it would be. They decided to host another, but bring more battlers along with the original twelve. It would be called Super Smash Brothers Melee', a real mouthful to say. They asked me to bring someone else from the Lylat system to battle too, and the one person that fit the bill was...well, one that had a bill.

Falco was very excited and anxious to try this tournament, for he loved action. Peppy was amused by our excitement, for he was growing a bit old, and loved watching us getting excited. Slippy informed us about the new combatants, but we only knew information about them, not what they looked like.

Mario was brining many new friends to the tournament. There was Doctor Mario, an alter-ego form of him that had dedicated his life to medicine. Mario's girlfriend, Princess Peach Toadstool, was also coming. Bowser, who claimed to have been Mario's archrival but now has changed his ways, sounded pretty fierce.

Link was bringing Zelda Gaiden, his girlfriend who was also a princess. He was bringing a younger form of himself, who was nicknamed Young Link'. His archrival, a man by the name of Ganondorf, was also coming.

There were two new Pokémon coming to the tournament. Pichu, who sounded like he was related, was reported as a baby Pokémon. Why was a baby fighting in such rough conditions? It confused me. The another was Mewtwo, who was a Pokémon with supposively incredible psychic powers.

New members that no one had heard of were also coming. Mr. Game & Watch, a two-dimensional man from a two-dimensional world, sounded quite different than anyone or anything I've ever heard of. Marth and Roy were both royal members of a great kingdom that had, up until now, never been heard of by most of the universe. Two kids in snowsuits with the names of Popo and Nana were going together, nicknamed the Ice Climbers'.

When Falco and I arrived at the tournament, the tournament seemed to be to a much wider range of the universe. It was true that Link was a major heartthrob to teenage girls, but Marth and Roy also proved to be hotties' to girls everywhere. It amused me to hear this, and I wasn't as jealous as Falco was. To be honest, I didn't care that much. Falco seemed to, however.

Falco and I weren't as popular as them, mainly because the Milky Way galaxy is not used to our half-man and half-animal look. Everyone looks half-man and half-animal in my galaxy, which is why attraction between anybody, no matter what animal they might particularly be, is perfectly normal.

It sure explains why I fell for Zelda Gaiden.

When I first saw her, I was certain someone had sent an angel down from Heaven to join us in this tournament. Her golden hair shone like the most pure gold ever polished. Her blue eyes were dazzling, shimmering like the ocean on a clear day. Her skin was pearly, creamy, soft and tempting. Her arms and legs were built fairly well, looking slender and strong at the same time. She was dressed in a fair, pink dress with gold decorations on it, ones that couldn't shine half as well as her golden hair. When I first saw her, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Zelda looked like an angel, and was one at heart too. She was kind, considerate, and loving towards everyone except Ganondorf and Bowser, who were rude to everyone. She spent time with Jigglypuff, Pikachu and Yoshi, who loved attention. She was friendly to the other girls, and was polite to the guys. She never flirted with any of the boys, proving her loyalty to Link, and showing many other special characteristics about her. Every word that meant kind', caring' and wonderful' floated through my mind when I thought of her. I honestly can't think of one bad thing about her, except that she wasn't single when I first met her.

I wanted my crush on her to not be obvious. I kind of hate attention, and I knew that Link would most likely be at my throat if he found out I liked his girlfriend. But how could I keep such attraction at an unnoticeable level? Just seeing her made me want to be a different and better person.

For the first time in my life, I hated my half-animal looks. Even if she were single, how could she love someone like me? I'm a creature that isn't even her species! Besides, she was also royalty. Link obviously was a very important person wherever he came from, if he could be Zelda's boyfriend. I felt no hatred or anger for Link, but was envious that he was the right species. I wished more than anything I could lose my vulpine looks and be humanoid, just so I could stand the slightest chance of ever being hers.

"FOX!!"

Falco's jarring voice burst into my ears quite suddenly. I flinched, then glared at him slightly.

"What is it?" I asked as I rubbed the sensitive insides of my right ear.

"Man, are you going to stare at Zelda all day, or are you going to eat?" he teased me.

I saw his point instantly. I had been staring at Zelda for far too long, and I hoped no one, especially Link, had seen me doing so. Regretfully, I turned my head away from her and looked at my order of food.

"Heh heh! Lose your appetite?" Falco joked, nudging me with his elbow. "Maybe what you really want to taste is...Zelda?"

I playfully punched his arm. Falco knew all too well about my crush on Zelda. He is the only person I've told, and the only one I think I'll ever tell. Falco is my closest friend, and he is my age now.

All of the fighters were at the fast food restaurant that we all go to in our free time. We were having lunch there, and the reason we all were there was because after lunch, the first tournament of the entire series of tournaments was going to start after we all had lunch. So, we all agreed to eat here, and then go back to the stadium once we were all done.

I picked up my soda and started sipping it, yet my eyes wandered off to Zelda once again. She was eating with Link, Marth and Samus Aran, who wasn't wearing her armored suit (she changes into it when she goes to the stadium). They were talking about something I couldn't quite hear.

"Hey, Fox...," Falco hummed.

I snapped my eyes back to him, the adrenaline rush from not wanting to be caught causing me to swallow a big amount of soda at once. Falco was playing with his fries, and was smirking at me at the same time. I felt kind of sorry for him. After all, he wasn't the loner type of person at all; he loved attention, and probably wanted to be chatting with a group of people now, rather than sitting with just boring, love-struck me.

"You know, you could always go sit with someone else, Falco. I don't mind!" I suggested.

Falco chuckled and shook his head. "Someone's got to keep the loner company. I'll bet you sat alone every day at the last tournament!"

"Almost every day." I corrected.

"Yoshi wouldn't leave you alone?"

"He wasn't the only one I sat with. Besides, no one really wants to eat with him or Kirby, because the two have a habit of stealing all of your food."

"Don't you think THAT'S why I gave up sitting with the others? First person I tried to sit with was Kirby. One breath, and my entire meal gone! What a glutton!"

I chuckled, then started eating. Falco started sipping his own soda, then pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "Wanna hear who's going up against who in the first round?"

"Sure!" I commented between bites of my hamburger.

The tournament was going to start with five tournaments of team battles. They did this last tournament, but decided to start with it this time. We were allowed to pick our ally if we wanted to, and Falco and I chose each other, of course. The battles would be two stock.

"First is Young Link and Popo against Bowser and Ganondorf. ...I don't remember a Popo!" Falco scratched his head in confusion.

"The male member of the Ice Climber team," I pointed out.

"Oh. Wait, I thought they would battle together! They are allowed to, and consider themselves one team member!"

"If they did, there would only be twenty-five contestants. With them separate, there is an even amount of battlers."

"Oh. Well, they don't stand a chance against Bowser and Ganondorf! Have you seen those two battle when training? They're murderous!"

"I know. Why were they allowed? Who's next, Andross?" I grumbled.

"Now, now, Fox. Satan worshippers need their heroes too!" Falco joked. I chuckled at his joke, and then he continued. "Next is Pikachu and Jigglypuff against Link and your girlfriend!"

I punched his arm playfully again. He always teased me about my crush on Zelda, but never told anyone about it.

"After them is Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu against Luigi and Yoshi."

"I can't wait to see Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu battle!" I commented.

Falco nodded, then pointed at where they were sitting. Pichu, who was wearing his much-loved blue goggles and blue scarf, was having a small food fight with Mr. Game & Watch. The two were the clowns of all of us.

Pichu may be a baby Pokémon by standards, but he only looks that way. Pikachu and Jigglypuff had informed us that Pichu loved being a Pichu so much, he refused to evolve. He also learned how to speak English, and he is one of the biggest chatterboxes I know. Mr. Game & Watch loves telling puns and making jokes, and he and Pichu quickly became friends.

The two were pelting each other with fries, laughing and shouting out jokes. They were very humorous, and obviously wanted and loved attention.

"Two clowns against Luigi and Yoshi. It should be interesting!" Falco chuckled, then looked at his paper again. "Next is Captain Falcon and Samus Aran against Mario and Peach Toadstool."

I couldn't help but snicker when I remembered how Falcon and Samus were involuntarily paired together. Neither of them had someone they wanted to be their partner, so they had their partner chosen at random. When the two were called, snickers from many of the first tournament members, including myself, had to be held back. The two didn't start objecting or demanding for a new partner, but you could tell they were thrilled to be paired with the other. Their arguing increased as time passed by.

"Next is Kirby and Doctor Mario against Ness and Nana!" Falco read out loud. Then he suddenly looked nervous and frustrated.

"What? Are we last?" I asked him.

"Yep. And we're against Donkey Kong and Mewtwo."

I groaned and slammed my fist against the table in frustration. Just great. Mewtwo and Donkey Kong, both against us. Donkey Kong was the strongest of us all in muscles and Mewtwo was the strongest of us all in non-physical attacks. It wasn't going to be an easy battle at all.

"Great. We're dead!" Falco groaned as he folded up the paper. "Donkey Kong and Mewtwo! Do they hate us, Fox?!"

"No, no. It was a random choice. Besides, everyone here is really hard to beat. We just have to fight two that make a nice combination!"

"Thrillsville," grumbled Falco.

"Hey, we make a good combination!" I exclaimed, trying to cheer him up.

Falco shrugged then went back to his soda. I finished off my food, then just sat back and relaxed as I waited for him. I took the time to look at my surroundings.

Kirby had already eaten his full, and left to go to the stadium and wait for us. Mario, Yoshi, Peach and Luigi were all eating together, yet the humans were keeping a close eye on their food because of Yoshi. Yoshi looked and acted as innocent as a first-grader, but everyone knew he had an uncontrollable habit for eating food that didn't belong to him.

Bowser and Ganondorf were eating together, yet they didn't talk. Roy, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong and Mewtwo were all eating and chatting. Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Doctor Mario and Nana were also just chatting and eating. Young Link, Popo and Ness were eating together, yet there was a lot of snickering and giggling. The three loved to play around, and were probably making little jokes.

I also couldn't help but steal another glance at Zelda. She had arm around Link, and was laughing at a joke that one of her tablemates had said. I loved her laughter. It sounded so happy, so musical, and so free...

"I'm done, let's go!" Falco exclaimed. He wiped his beak with his jacket sleeve, producing a slight grease stain on it. "Come on, Fox!"

I sighed, took one more eyeful of Zelda, and then we left the fast-food restaurant.

We walked to the stadium, each of us making bets on who we thought was going to win. We disagreed on all of them, except for one: ours. We both believed we were going to win, regardless of the odds.

At the stadium, Kirby muttered a Hello' to us, and didn't say anything to us. The stadium looks like a movie theater, except for the fact that there is a teleporting device near the bottom right part of the room. Falco and I waited patiently for the others, as we discussed all sorts of things: battle strategies, who was going to win, what Slippy and Peppy might be doing now, and who was going to arrive next every time someone entered.

Soon, everyone arrived in the stadium, and we were ready to begin. Mario walked over to the teleporter and pressed a few buttons. I figured he was now putting the fights on television, which is how the fights are shown to the entire universe. Worlds that don't have television watch through a magical screen that behaves like a TV without any channels except our battles.

"Okay-a!" Mario exclaimed, his Italian accent filled with excitement. "The first battle is Young Link and Popo verses-a Bowser and Ganondorf!"

The four made their way down to the teleporters. Young Link and Popo were cheered on loudly by Zelda, Link, Nana and Ness. No one cheered on Bowser and Ganondorf, but they didn't care.

When they were all at the teleporter, Mario pushed a few more buttons, and then the four seemed to look like they were teleported away.

The screen lit up to the map selection, and Mario looked out at us. We were supposed to cheer out which one we wanted the most. There were so many new maps, and so many ones I liked that I had no clue which one to ask for.

"Flat Zone! Flat Zone!" I could see Mr. Game & Watch jumping into the air and waving his arms, clicking with every jump and arm wave.

"You heard the 2-D man! Flat Zone!" Pichu also started jumping up and down, and it was a very amusing sight.

"Corneria!" Falco exclaimed, somewhat startling me.

"Onett!" Ness called out.

"Kongo Jungle!" Donkey Kong shouted.

"Icicle Mountain!" Nana called out.

"Rainbow Cruise!" Peach requested loudly.

Mario nodded his head, and picked Peach's request. That seemed a little unfair to me, but then again, it wasn't that big of a deal. Bowser and Ganondorf didn't have an advantage, no one was hurt, and someone else would make the choice for the next match.

The first part of the match was a disaster for poor Popo and Young Link. Ganondorf and Bowser used their incredible strength to pound the two kids around. Every time Young Link seemed to able to hit one of his opponents with a good sword blow, they dodged the attack or hit him back before his attack could connect. Popo could barely even touch the two, even with his large mallet.

When both Young Link and Popo had lost one stock, neither Bowser nor Ganondorf were above fifty percent. It looked very bad for them.

"They're doomed," Falco muttered in my ear.

I scowled at him for his negative attitude, and quickly looked around to make sure no one heard us. I didn't have to worry, for not only were we sitting alone and away from the others, everyone else was too engrossed by the fight to probably hear us.

Mario, Luigi and Peach looked furious, most likely because they didn't like Bowser. Link also looked furious, but Zelda looked worried and tense. Nana and Ness were shouting out to their friends at the top of their lungs, and Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch were bouncing up and down again.

The screen was now scrolling upwards, and the four were jumping up and fighting at the same time. Young Link suddenly landed a strong sword blow on Ganondorf. It knocked the man a few feet away. Popo also managed to hit Bowser into the air a little with a tremendous mallet swing. This seemed to enrage the two further, and they grew more vicious. Young Link and Popo could barely touch the two as they were knocked all around the scrolling arena.

Ganondorf, with one well-timed Warlock Punch, knocked Popo so far to the side that he was defeated. With Popo's last stock used up, it was up to only Young Link, but I could see the sign of defeat in the young man's eyes. He knew he was defeated.

Young Link was able to deliver two or three more blows before Ganondorf finished him off too. With a powerful uppercut that spewed black magic from Ganondorf's fist onto Young Link, he was sent into the horizon.

No cheering came for Bowser and Ganondorf when they came from the portal. No one liked the two. After all, they were rude, impolite and, basically, just two complete jerks. I specifically heard Bowser say, "You two suck," when he came back into the stadium.

Many people did tell Young Link and Popo that they tried hard, and that did okay; yet the two were a bit ashamed and sad that they lost so fast.

Mario motioned to Luigi, who walked over to the control panel. "Okay-a!" the younger, taller brother exclaimed. "Next up is Pikachu and Jigglypuff against-a Link and Zelda!"

Link and Zelda were cheered on by many of us, including me. Yet Pikachu and Jigglypuff had their fans and people rooting for them. Especially two loud ones.

"Kick their butts, Pikachu! Kick their butts!" Pichu shouted, bouncing up and down on his chair like an out-of-control pogo stick.

"You will, you will ROCK THEM!!" Mr. Game & Watch sang.

The four made their way to the teleporter, and soon, Luigi teleported them into the virtual game. I waved to them, mainly to Zelda, as they vanished. Yet she had her beautiful eyes closed in determination, unable to see me. Pikachu waved to me, however, so I felt guilty now that I wanted him and Jigglypuff to lose.

The map selection came up, and both Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu started shouting, "A Pokémon one!" over and over. I was amazed that those two didn't get sore throats, screaming like that.

"Great Bay!" Young Link shouted, over his depression from losing.

"Venom!" Falco exclaimed.

"Mute City!" Captain Falcon spoke up.

"Brinstar Depths!" Samus Aran called out.

Luigi scratched his head under his hat, then selected Venom. Falco laughed triumphantly, as if he had won a great battle. I couldn't help but smirk.

The four appeared on the Great Fox all at once; Link on the top-left wing, Pikachu on the top-right wing, Zelda on the bottom-right wing, and Jigglypuff on the bottom-left wing.

Zelda jumped up and blasted Pikachu into the air with a magic explosion. Link dropped down through his wing and started slashing at Jigglypuff mercilessly. The round Pokémon fought back with her short but strong arms. Pikachu jumped over the center of the plane and to the other side, trying to get away from Zelda.

I sighed happily as I watched Zelda leap through the air after Pikachu. Her golden hair was whipping in the air like crazy. Her dress was fluttering like an unsteady pool of water. The determination could be seen in her eyes if you looked close, and I was looking close.

"Go, Zelda!" I called out, unable to keep my urge to cheer for her in any longer.

"BEAT THEM ALL UP!!" Mr. Game & Watch shouted like a wild man at the same time, making me inaudible to everyone but Falco.

"Cool it, will ya?" he nudged me. "If Young Link heard you and told Link-"

"Do you think Link would beat me up for cheering on his girlfriend?"

"The guy almost never talks, he carries a huge sword, and he always wears an expression that says, Who should I kill today?' Do you really want to push your luck?"

I sighed. Unfortunately, Link was a man of mystery to me. I couldn't tell what he liked, who he liked (except Zelda and Young Link), and what made him happy or angry. I wondered why Zelda, someone so full of life, would ever date someone as emotionless as him. I wish I knew more about Link, to see what he was like and what Zelda saw in him.

Zelda started deploying more magic power to Pikachu, who started shocking her with all the electricity it could use. Link swung a powerful, upward sword swing that sent Jigglypuff high into the air and into the horizon. He jumped onto the top wing to start fighting Pikachu, but the electric had started up his most powerful move: Thunder.

A might bolt of Thunder came plummeting down and struck Pikachu, creating a damaging electric shield around him. The blast hit both Zelda and Link, knocking them a few feet back.

"Ooooh, nice timing!" Falco commented.

Jigglypuff then appeared back for her second stock, and hit Zelda with a backward kick, sending her back even further. I winced as I saw her hit the floor. I was no longer watching Link fight Pikachu; I was completely engrossed with Zelda.

Jigglypuff started charging up her Rollout and shot forward at blinding speed. It unfortunately hit Zelda, sending her off the ship. Jigglypuff waited on the top wing, waiting for her to come back. Yet Zelda outsmarted Jigglypuff, and used her Farore's Wind to teleport herself to the bottom wing. When the pink Pokémon dropped down to attack, Zelda hit her with a powerful magic spell that launched the Pokémon into the air.

I let out a sigh of relief, then saw Zelda transform into her alter ego, Sheik. Sheik is not very attractive, with crimson eyes and an outfit that covers the majority of her face. Yet her more muscular and flexible body was better for fighting opponents, a tactic I wish I had. Alas, I know no magic.

I suddenly saw Link go shooting to the right through the air, electricity coursing through his body. Pikachu must have hit him with a huge shock or something. Link jumped back to the ship and barely managed to grab hold of the lower wing. Sheik never noticed him, for she had her back to him, and was now jumping up to the top wing.

Jigglypuff and Pikachu were both waiting for her. Pikachu shocked her with a Thunder Jolt, and Jigglypuff managed to hit her with a strong kick. Yet Sheik quickly recovered, and let out a stream of powerful kicks to the two Pokémon.

Link jumped onto the top wing to join the fray. Yet Jigglypuff slammed him with a headbutt that was so powerful, it sent Link into the horizon.

The score was now even for stock on both teams. It was hard to tell who would win, but I still thought that Zelda and Link would win.

Pikachu grabbed a paper fan and started ruthlessly hitting Sheik with it. Sheik managed to escape Pikachu's wrath, but not before suffering a small amount of damage. Jigglypuff tried to attack her, but was slashed away by the recently arrived Link.

With one powerful blow, Sheik sent Pikachu flying through the air to the right and he lost a stock. Jigglypuff put Link to sleep with a song, then grabbed the Hyrulian warrior with her small fists. After delivering a few punches, Jigglypuff threw Link straight into the air, then jumped up and hit him with another punch.

Sheik quickly transformed back into Zelda. She threw a burning orb of fire and with terrific aim, exploded it on Jigglypuff.

Pikachu came back and started shocking both Link and Zelda like crazy. Maybe he was worried about losing, so he was trying to deliver as much damage as possible.

Suddenly, Pikachu hit Zelda with a powerful, upward blow! The move catapulted the princess into the air, and it sent her into the background. I shuddered when I heard her scream out; it made me feel sad, empty and bad about myself because I couldn't help her.

Link, who looked like he was becoming very frustrated, slashed out at Pikachu, knocking the yellow mouse into the Great Fox's fin. The yellow mouse retaliated with a short Skull Bash, which was only strong enough to knock Link to the floor. Jigglypuff had picked up a canister and lobbed it at Link, but missed and it burst open on the ground, revealing a baseball bat.

The electric mouse quickly picked up the bat and headed for Link. Link showed no sign of fear for the deadly bat, and he flung his boomerang at Pikachu, who put up his defensive shield to block it.

Zelda suddenly appeared on the glowing return platform. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her again, looking determined and cautious. She kicked Pikachu from above, making the electric Pokémon flinch and drop the bat.

Link was dealing with Jigglypuff, who was at a dangerously high percentage. With a major sword slash, Jigglypuff was sent flying and lost her last stock.

Although it was now very difficult for him to win, Pikachu wasn't quitting. He looked just as determined, and there was no sign of quitting in his eyes; I had to admire him. For such a small creature, there was a lot of heart in him.

The electric mouse grabbed Zelda with his small paws, shocked her a little, and then blasted her forward with a strong electric blast. She quickly recovered, and at the same time, Link had rushed up to Pikachu to him with a strong sword slash.

Pichu was screaming out wildly for his evolved form. I kept seeing his little body jumping into the air and blocking Link's damage percentage for me. The little guy sure had a lot of enthusiasm!

Link was busy trying to keep Pikachu away from him, slashing at him viciously with his sword. Pikachu kept sending electricity, and delivering blows with his head and tail.

He should've remembered to watch out for Zelda.

The gorgeous Hyrulian princess had picked up the baseball bat that the electric mouse had dropped earlier. With a mighty swing, she hit Pikachu with the one-hit KO power of the bat. He let out an exclamation as he zipped through the air and was defeated.

"ZELDA AND LINK ARE THE WINNERS!!" Luigi exclaimed.

The crowd cheered for the Hyrulian team, me included. Even Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch applauded their victory.

The four were teleported back in unison. Zelda looked relieved, Link looked proud, and Pikachu and Jigglypuff looked disappointed.

"It's okay, old chap!" Pichu had walked up to Pikachu when they had been transported in. "We love you anyway, and you're still the best!" He hugged the slightly larger Pokémon, and Pikachu hugged him back. It was a touching scene.

Then another touching scene took place. Link smiled at Zelda, who smiled back. He said something to her that I couldn't hear, for he said it too quietly. Then he held her in his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back, her arms folding around him.

Young Link catcalled to them, and Mr. Game & Watch wolf-whistled. Falco laughed at these little remarks, but I didn't. All I could see was Zelda kissing Link. Soon, it was just too much to bear, and I forced myself to look away. That kiss proved what I had concluded some time ago.

Zelda would never love me like she could love Link, no matter how much I loved her back.


	2. Bird of Prey, Fox Hunter

Chapters may be in more than one person's point of view from now on. This will let you see what's going on in the mind of others, such as Falco, Nana, Luigi, and many of the other characters.

Chapter 2 - Bird of Prey, Fox Hunter

***Fox McCloud***

"Get back here, you lanky plumber!!"

Pichu's powerful, cute voice came blasting from the speakers of the stadium. He was chasing after Luigi, who he had blasted forward with an electric blast. Both Luigi and Yoshi had lost a stock, while Pichu lost one as well. Mr. Game & Watch was at a high percentage, but was enduring wonderfully.

Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu were now fighting Luigi and Yoshi in Kongo Jungle. It all helped to take my mind off Zelda and Link's kiss; the catchy rap song, Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch's taunts and puns, and the action of the fight.

Yoshi and Mr. Game & Watch were fighting on the incredibly dangerous boulder that stood out of the waterfall. The two dimensional man was using his bug spray to hit Yoshi with gusts of wind. ...Actually, it could be an air pump too, but either way, it shot gusts of air.

"We will pump you up!" Mr. Game & Watch exclaimed as he hit Yoshi with several blasts.

Pichu was attacking Luigi with a full-assault of electric attacks and physical blows. The little mouse did almost as much damage to himself as Luigi did to him, but he was racking up some serious damage onto the plumber.

I could hear the crowd cheering for any of the four battlers. All four were lovable in their own special ways, yet I had my bet on the two pun tellers.

Mr. Game & Watch's head suddenly turned into a scuba-diving helmet, and he slammed his cranium against Yoshi, shooting the dinosaur into the sky and into the background. At the same time, Pichu hit Luigi with a strong headbutt of his own and sent the plumber into the far jungle.

"Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch win!" Captain Falcon, who was the announcer, exclaimed.

The crowd cheered loudly for the two clowns when they were teleported back, bouncing up and down in sheer delight. It had been somewhat of a close call, for any strong move from either Luigi or Yoshi would've knocked them out at the end.

Luigi and Yoshi were complimented on how well they did, and they felt better. Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch went to their seats, and the instant they were sitting down, Mr. Game & Watch exclaimed, "Flat Zone! Pick Flat Zone!!"

Captain Falcon snickered, then looked down at the list. "Well, next is...oh, Samus Aran and myself against Mario and Peach Toadstool!"

Samus Aran, now clad in her bounty hunter suit, walked down to the teleporter, clanking with every step. Mario and Peach walked down too, determined and confident in their abilities.

Mewtwo was now behind the controls. It watched as the four came down to the teleporter, and stood on their platforms. Samus Aran removed her helmet for a short amount of time and said something to Captain Falcon that I couldn't hear. I couldn't have been too nice, for Captain Falcon glared at her darkly as she put her helmet on.

"Teleporting beginning now," Mewtwo informed them, then pushed a few buttons with his round fingers.

After the combatants were done being teleported, the maps were put on.

"Take a wild guess what we want!" Pichu shouted.

"Hyrule Temple!" Young Link exclaimed.

"Peach's Castle!" Bowser shouted, speaking up for once.

"Fourside!" Nana shouted.

"Big Blue!" I cried out, wanting to see something that could really take my mind off my sorrow.

Mewtwo had its arms crossed and was looking at us emotionlessly. It kind of creeped me out, the way it stared at us like that. Suddenly, the psychic Pokémon reached out with his finger and picked Big Blue'.

"Ah, good! Action!" Falco exclaimed.

I nodded, then leaned back and tried to relax. Tried to keep my mind off Zelda and Link kissing...trying to keep it off my and Falco's tough fight coming up soon...

***Nana***

The fight between the two bounty hunters and Mario and Peach in Big Blue was not so interesting to me. I wasn't into high-speed, heavy-hitting action like that. I liked action, but my mind was somewhere else.

Ness. The cute boy who had stolen my heart.

I loved his brown eyes, how his black hair stuck out from his hair, his skills and amazing powers. He was just too cool!

I was sad when I heard that he had a girlfriend. Popo, who had instantly befriended him, had found this out from Luigi and told me. Her name was Paula, yet I had never met her. I wondered why she didn't come to the tournament?

I was sitting inbetween Ness and Popo right now, Ness on my left and Popo on my right. My eyes more focused on Ness rather than the fight, however. Both he and Popo were engrossed in the fight, which was a typical thing for a boy, I guess.

We were all about thirteen years old, just barely teenagers. I had turned thirteen a few weeks ago, and Popo had turned thirteen about a month ago. I didn't know about Ness, but he looked exactly as old as my brother.

I worked up the courage to speak to him again. "You know, we're on next! Are you ready?" I asked.

"_How sweet, Nana!_" I cursed myself in my mind. "_THAT is sure to get him interested in you!_"

Ness looked at me, his beautiful eyes looking into mine. "Yes. Are you?"

"Yeah, considering if I can convince Popo I'll be fine!" I joked.

He laughed, then there was a shout from Captain Falcon. He quickly looked at the fight to see what was going on, and I glanced as well. It seemed that Captain Falcon had fallen on the road and had lost a stock from being too far behind, but however that happened was a mystery.

Ness looked back at me, and I quickly looked back at him. "You know, I don't think you have to worry about Popo worrying about you if he can trust me to be your partner."

I nodded. Popo had introduced me to Ness, which is why I knew so much about him now, because since Popo always wants to stay close to me, Ness is not far away. My brother was also quite aware of my infatuation for him. So much, that he did something quite out of the ordinary at the partner selection.

When Mario called Popo, he assumed that he and I would be paired, so he asked if that were so. Popo said something like, "I would really like to fight with my sister, but I wanted to try battling with my new friend, Young Link! You can pair her up with Ness though! I'm sure that'd be okay with both of them!"

At first, I was angry with my brother. I thought he was just giving me a hard time, and trying to be the teasing, older brother'. It turned out that he just wanted me to be closer friends with Ness so that we all would be comfortable when we were all just fooling around'.

Well, I surely wanted to be closer to Ness, but he had a girlfriend! I wasn't about to ruin a happy relationship, no matter how much I wanted Ness to be mine.

"So...um...how's your girlfriend, Paula?" I asked, trying my best to sound casual.

"Paula? Oh, yes. We broke up, but we're still friends." Ness informed me.

My heart leapt with joy, and I tried not to smile. "...Uh...may I ask how come?"

"Well, I travel a lot, and she wanted to stay at her home. Also, since I'm going to be gone so much, I wanted her to have more freedom, so I told her that she could other boys if she wanted. We're still good friends though. After all we went through, we'll always be friends."

I nodded, smiling at him. "She sounds like a nice girl."

"Oh, she is. She's very sweet and caring, but she doesn't have that sense of adventure like I do. Probably why I hang around with you and your brother."

I hoped that the reason he would be with me was not JUST that, but I nodded. "Hey, we girls are all different!" I giggled, fidgeting with my mallet nervously. Trying to think of something else to say, I blurted out, "Are you seeing someone now though?"

"No, not really."

"Ah," I commented. Jeez, why was it getting so hot in here? My suit was feeling like an oven. I quickly unbuttoned my jacket, and it still felt no cooler. I was wearing a casual, yellow T-shirt underneath, not that it mattered though. My head was starting to spin from the heat, and I quickly pulled my hood off. I shook my head hard, my long, brown hair whipping around slightly. I had let it grow down to my shoulders, but most of it was kept under my hood.

I suddenly noticed Ness was staring at me, a look of amazement on his face. It couldn't be for me! ...Could it? "Ness, what is it?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing! Nothing!" he exclaimed, blushing slightly. "I just...never noticed what beautiful hair you have!"

I could feel my face flushing when he said that. I gripped my mallet nervously, worried I may start to crack in front of him. "Th-thank you!" I stammered.

I tried to relax, tried to calm myself down. I let go of my precious sledgehammer and leaned back. I laid my arms on the armrests, only to feel Ness's hand under my heavily covered one.

"Oh, sorry!" I squeaked as I whipped my hand away as I had stuck it in fire.

"It's okay! My fault!" he whispered. It was so cute how he was trying to be honest.

I grabbed hold of my mallet, wanting to hold onto something, as that was what I did when I was nervous. Looking up at the screen, there was an unusual sight. Samus was holding onto Captain Falcon's arm, as he was almost falling off the back of a racing car! I figured that Mario or Peach had knocked him off-balance, and then Samus had knocked them away to save Falcon. Both Mario and Peach were some distance from the bounty hunters.

Suddenly, feeling rather bold, I had an idea. Maybe it was the sense of adrenaline pumping that gave me the courage to seize the moment. I pulled off my left glove, then inched my hand over to him nervously. I placed my trembling hand over his, surprised by how warm his hand felt to mine.

When Ness looked up at me in surprise, I smiled weakly. I started to move my hand away, but his fingers caught hold of mine. Soon, our hands were intertwined, and I felt myself no longer shivering with fright. He made me feel...protected and safe. It felt so wonderful.

I was suddenly starting to hope that the people in this battle would take their time, for I wanted this to last as long as it could.

***Luigi***

It was upsetting to me that Mario and Peach lost their battle.

I've always respected my brother and his girlfriend. When Mario battles, he seems so in control. Peach also seems so calm when battling, like if she's not afraid of losing. It was amazing how they could remain so passive when battling, training, and all of the time!

Captain Falcon and Samus Aran didn't even like each other! It seemed strange that they won, for how can they have good teamwork if they don't like each other?

When they were transported back into the stadium, Peach and Mario didn't look too upset. In fact, they seemed to be okay with the fact that they lost their first battle!

Captain Falcon went back to his seat, not saying anything to Samus, who left so that she could change out of her mechanical suit. I wondered what those two thought of each other. They seemed to not like each other, but during the fight, Samus ran away from Peach when she had just destroyed her shield to save Falcon! She grabbed Mario with her Grappling Hook and threw him behind her, then ran up and grabbed Falcon's arm! Peach recovered from having her shield destroyed, never being hit when Samus could've hammered her hard.

Anyway, it wasn't a big deal. Why did it matter? Falcon and Samus won, and they didn't say a word to each other after the fight! Meanwhile, Mario and Peach were talking as Pichu was calling down the next battlers as if they were game show contestants.

"You did well Mario!" Peach chimed in her absolutely adorable falsetto voice. "I kind of dragged us down with me hovering around so slowly on such a fast-moving arena!"

"No, Peach. I'm more to fault. I lost both my stock by clumsily falling onto the road! You have better balance than me!" Mario admitted.

Peach smiled cutely and kissed his cheek. "You're so cute at times, you know that!"

I stopped watching the two lovebirds and tried to watch the fight that was now going on. Doctor Mario and Kirby were battling Ness and Nana (who, for some reason, wasn't wearing her hood) on the Pokémon Floats.

Yet Mario and Peach flirting with each other just reminded me of someone that I held in my heart.

Daisy Margarita, princess of Sarasaland Kingdom. I met Daisy at a huge tennis tournament that Mario had hosted. Ironically, I was also where I met the uninvited Waluigi. So at that tournament, I had met someone I really didn't like, and someone I really, very truly liked!

Although Peach is a wonderful gal, Daisy is more my type. She's pure-tomboy, loves to adventure and have fun, is very funny and is one of the sweetest people I remember. I remembered how when Lakitu tried to steal my trophy, she flung her racket at him and he dropped it when he was hit.

Unfortunately, she couldn't come to the tournament, although she was invited. She was too busy with Sarasaland Kingdom to make it this time. I could only think of her now; her gorgeous bronze skin, her inquisitive sapphire eyes, and her tough but also caring attitude.

Suddenly, I was called to attention by Pichu's loud shouting. Nana and Ness had beaten Kirby and Doctor Mario. I groaned at the fact that now everyone from Mushroom Kingdom except Bowser had lost. Sure, Ness and Nana won fair and square, and they both were just clinging onto one stock when the fight was over. I was just hoping that at least one GOOD Mushroom Kingdom star would've won!

Pichu announced the next fight: Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi verses Mewtwo and Donkey Kong. I didn't really consider DK to be a Mushroom Kingdom star, for he's really out on his own now. He is a good friend of Mario now, so I hoped he'd win.

Then again, he and Mewtwo teamed together makes incredible firepower. Not to be offensive to Fox and Falco, but I don't think they stand much of a chance.

***Falco Lombardi***

So, it was time for us to battle? So be it! I wanted this whole thing to just get done and over with!

Zelda was behind the controls of the board, which I knew Fox must have been delighted about. There was no denying how sexy that chick was, but was Fox hoping that she would turn into a vixen or something? There were plenty of fish in the sea, but he was obsessed over just this one!

I honestly believe that Fox could have a girlfriend if he tried. I mean, once he dumped his shy and loner ways, he could have any girl he wanted! I guess that just isn't Fox though.

"Good luck, guys!" Zelda told us.

Fox smiled at her and nodded. "Thanks!" he replied. I snickered to myself. He was probably thinking some kind of romantic description for her voice. Something like, it is piped down honey-coated tubes from Heaven'. ...Naw, that just sounded silly.

"We'll need it!" I grunted at her, then walked onto my space of the teleporter. Donkey Kong and Mewtwo walked up a few seconds later and I swear, those two were practically grinning with joy. Donkey Kong was in his usual good mood and Mewtwo with its I will scramble your brains later on' look, but I knew they thought we were as good as done now.

"Okay then. Teleporting beginning!" Zelda exclaimed, and then my view of the theater disappeared. I appeared in the waiting zone' of the system, where everything is black all around except for a 3-D board of the arenas, with the cursor running all over.

After waiting for a few minutes, the map was picked: Jungle Japes. Ah, perfect. That level was a suicide graveyard!

When teleported there, I found myself on the right platform. Fox was far away, on the left platform. Donkey Kong and Mewtwo were in the middle, DK facing Fox, and the psychic cat facing me.

"Bring it on, you psychic weirdo!" I shouted at Mewtwo, motioning for it to come and get me.

"With great pleasure!" Mewtwo replied calmly and leapt towards me! I kicked out, but it disappeared! Dang! Where'd it go?

Suddenly, I felt something hard whip the back of my head. I lost my balance and hit the floor. Scrambling to my feet and looking around, I saw Mewtwo standing on the edge of the platform. It smirked and then reached out and gripped me with its psychic powers. Every part of my body refused to move!

"You are so foolishly arrogant!" it commented as lifted me to behind itself and blasted me off with a psychic burst.

I cursed myself, then used my Falco Phantasm to quickly get back on! Zipping forward, I caught Mewtwo off guard and hit it into the air! Ha!

"And so are you!" I laughed and kicked upwards, launching it further up. I leapt up and gave him a double kick, then turned on my Reflector. The sudden burst of energy knocked him higher up, and fell down to the platform.

Quickly trying to find out what was going to Fox, I looked around to where he should have been. Instead, I saw nobody! Where were they?!

I jumped over the pit that separated the platforms from each other. Then, suddenly, Fox came plummeting down from the sky! He was heading straight down into the river through the crack between the left and center platform!

I lost sight of him and looked up to see Donkey Kong in the air, still positioned in his Meteor Smash attack. I growled slightly and leapt up at him. Kicking and spinning my body, I hammered him with two kicks.

Suddenly, a burst of fire came shooting up from underneath me and nailed him! As he went soaring into the air, coursing with fire, I saw Fox fall down with me. He grabbed onto the ledge of the center platform when I landed on the platform itself. After pulling himself up, he pointed behind me and exclaimed, "Watch out!"

I turned around, pulling out my trusty laser gun. Mewtwo flung a fully charged Shadow Ball at me just when I laid eyes on it! I quickly turned on my Reflector and the huge ball of energy went shooting back to it. It connected with its owner, and sent him flying backwards. I ran after it, shooting my laser gun at the psychic weirdo.

"Come back here, you! You chicken!" I taunted him.

I heard Fox's blaster behind me shooting like a machine gun. He sure was putting it to use! Mewtwo came back with a teleporting movement and landed on the right platform.

"You've made me very angry!" Mewtwo growled, its eyes flashing a dangerous blue.

"Whine, whine, whine! Bring it on!" I called to him, motioning for him to come after me again.

It smirked, then jumped at me like I planned. I took aim with my laser gun...and jumped at it! With a downward kick, it went plummeting down into the river!

At first, I thought Mewtwo would recover like Fox did. Yet from the air, I saw the Klap Trap that bounces through the river slam into Mewtwo. Everyone knows that the Klap Trap is an instant loss, for touching him sends you plummeting down faster than the eye can follow, and you're doomed.

Mewtwo was hit by the Klap Trap and lost his first stock.

I turned around to see Fox dealing with an angry Donkey Kong. My friend was able to dodge his charged up Giant Punch, which was very, VERY good to not be hit by. Fox then grabbed him and hit him over the edge. When the giant monkey tried to jump back on, Fox used a splits attack to knock him down into the water. The current dragged him down and away until he too was defeated.

"All right, Fo-" I started, but was interrupted as I was shocked by electricity! I hit the floor, then saw a crackling Mewtwo glaring down at me. I stood up and tried to hit it with my fist, but it stopped all movement in my body with its psychic powers again.

"You will pay for that cheap trick!" Mewtwo hissed, then launched me forward at a downward, slanted angle.

Slamming against the right platform and then into the center platform's side, I found myself in the river.

"Cru-" I started to exclaim but then fell underwater. I tried powering up the Fire Bird, but the water's extinguished the flames before they could sprout. Everything went white, like if I had passed out, and then I found myself standing on the return platform.

Fox was now dealing with Mewtwo AND Donkey Kong, which was almost like suicide. Yet he was handling it beautifully.

Whenever they tried jumping at him, he would successfully knock them away with a well-timed hit. If they picked up an object and tossed it at him, he would turn on his Reflector, sometimes just in the nick of time, and the object would smack into either of our opponents.

Yet just when I dropped down from the return platform, Fox was defeated. Dodging a Giant Punch that Donkey sent at him, Mewtwo timed the throw of a baseball bat. A baseball bat is not just a killer when it is used for smashing; it's murder when you're hit by it when it is thrown. My vulpine friend was sent hurtling through the air and lost his first stock.

The good news was that Fox had racked up a good amount of damage (I presumed) and that we both had one stock. The bad news is that we had made Mewtwo and Donkey Kong very angry with us. That was not going to be good.

When Donkey Kong in an attempt to grab hold of me, I whipped my tail feathers around and hit him into the air. Fox McCloud grabbed hold of Mewtwo, kneed it a few times, and then smacked it forward.

Donkey Kong came down faster then I thought and hit me with his fists, knocking me across the center platform. Fox turned around and grabbed hold of the giant ape and then tossed him into the air. Then he took out his laser gun and blasted him with a few shots.

"Gee, I've been saved by Fox! How swell!" I replied, grinning at the same time. I loved saying that whenever Fox saved me, whether it was fighting or Arwing battling. Fox smirked back at me.

Suddenly, I saw Mewtwo charging up it Shadow Ball attack! Before I could warn Fox, who was closer, it threw the deadly projectile at my friend! Thinking fast, I jumped to Fox and pulled us both to the ground. The Shadow Ball flew over us and we were safe. For the moment.

"Thanks, buddy!" Fox muttered as he picked himself up.

"No problem!" I replied. Look around, I saw the lumbering monkey behind me and Mewtwo right behind Fox!

"WATCH OUT!!" we exclaimed at the same time, pointing at the opponent who was behind our friend. We slapped hands together, held on tight, and, exactly like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, jump-kicked at our approaching enemies.

Those kicks finished the job. Donkey Kong and Mewtwo went hurtling backwards from those kicks. Both lost their last stock, almost at the same time.

"YEEE-HAAAA!!" I exclaimed. We high-fived several times, then posed.

Everything turned white again, and I found myself back in the stadium. I wasn't expecting much when we got back, but I surely wasn't expecting them to be dead quiet!

They were all staring at us, some with their mouths open. No applause, no cheering, no nothing. Just like Bowser and Ganondorf...did they consider our victory as bad as those jerks?

I felt my rage boiling inside of me...

***Fox McCloud***

I was amazed that the crowd was silent when we arrived back. Falco was studying the crowd, maybe expecting them to say something. I quickly looked at my opponents, hoping they weren't still bitter.

Donkey Kong looked a bit angry and disappointed, but okay. Mewtwo...it's hard to tell what it's thinking. My best guess is that it was upset that it lost, and was wondering what it did wrong.

"Well, sheesh!" I suddenly heard Falco exclaim. Quickly turning around, I saw Falco was glaring at the crowd, his fists clenched in tight balls. "Talk about your tough crowds!"

He sulked over to the nearest door and swung it open so forcefully, the sound the doorknob made when it hit the wall was deafening. "Come on, Fox!" he called to me, then stormed out of the building.

I looked weakly at the audience, not knowing what to do and also unsure as to what to do. Yet Falco was my only friend, so I quickly decided to follow him.

The only thing I did to acknowledge the audience was to just shrug helplessly at them, and then take off after Falco. Actually, I only shrugged at the crowd to see if I could see what Zelda looked like, but she wasn't there!

Just when I left the stadium, I barely made out her voice with my very acute hearing skills. It sounded like she said something like, "I'm back! ...Oh, it's over? Who won?"

At dinner, Falco was still in a sulking mood. He hadn't said a word to anyone but me. I didn't understand his frustration, to be honest.

"Bunch of stupid...racist morons!" Falco grumbled as he ate his dinner, which was a hamburger.

The dinner room looks like a school's cafeteria, except without the park tables. The tables are a solid blue color, and the chairs are comfortable. There were plenty of tables and seats, so anyone who wanted to sit alone and away from the others could do so.

"Falco, please don't be so upset at them! It's not like they booed us!"

"They might as well! What, are we not good enough for these stupid gi-"

"Sssssssh!" I hissed, pointing a gloved finger at the others. "They'll hear you!" Falco grunted, and went back to eating.

A man walked up to us just then. He was a human, was about in his thirties, brown short hair and green eyes, and average height and weight. "Excuse me, Falco Lombardi?" he asked my friend.

"What is it?" he asked coldly.

"There's a message for you!" the man replied, handing him a small envelop. "It was sent as Personal Only'."

A Personal Only' message is one that is not to be read by ANYONE except the one who receives the message, and to one he wished to show it to.

Falco raised an eyebrow, then took the message from the man. The man bowed a little to us, then left the cafeteria.

"I wonder what the blazes this stupid message is!" Falco grumbled. He ripped the envelope open, looking even more frustrated and angry now.

"Must be important, if it is Personal Only'!" I commented, sipping my drink as I watched him.

"You think?" he replied sarcastically. He pulled the small piece of paper out and started reading it. Then his eyes turned from angry to...fear?

"Falco?" I spoke up, noticing his facial expression. Yet he continued reading it, and he looked more and more nervous as he read on. "Falco, what is it?!"

"N-Nothing!" Falco shoved the note into his jacket pocket.

"What was that about?" I asked, persisting to find out what was troubling my friend.

"Awwww, Fox! You worry too much about me! It was nothing!" Falco punched my arm, his usual mood replacing the fearful one.

"But...what was that message about?"

"Just some stupid prankster, angry about...our victory!" Falco chuckled. "To think I got upset over some moron's threat!"

"He threatened you?!" I almost shouted.

"Yeah, no big deal. Celebrities get death threats in their mail from time to time! I guess this is proof that I'm finally a big celebrity!"

Falco laughed out loud but I could only chuckle weakly. The thought of someone threatening to kill my good friend made me worried and furious at the same time. The thought of Falco being KILLED was horrible enough.

"So...you're okay with it?" I asked him.

"Yeah, yeah! Gosh, Fox! Don't let the turkeys get you down' is what you always say to me!"

"Turkeys don't threaten to kill you!"

"Yeah, well, he doesn't mean it."

"How do you know it's a he?"

"Could any woman out there resist such a beautiful body?" he asked me, motioning to himself.

We both laughed out loud, and I felt comfortable once again. Falco knew how to cheer me up fast; that was one of the many things I liked about him.

I suddenly heard someone clear his or her throat loudly in front of us. Looking up, I saw Marth holding a single sheet of paper and waiting for us to look at us.

"We ain't voting you president, Marth!" Falco snickered. "I'm not signing any list!"

"This is the paper saying who fights who tomorrow at what time." Marth informed us. "I'm quite certain that you'd like to see it."

"As long as we're kicking Ganondorf's and Bowser's arse!" Falco snickered as he reached out and snatched it from Marth's hand.

"You are," he replied, then started to walk away but stopped. He looked back at us and added, "By the way, great fight today. You two did very well."

Falco grunted as Marth walked away. "Probably wants to ease up his conscience."

"Marth is one of the most honorable people here, Falco," I defended him.

"He's a prince or something like that. He has to either be that, or a tyrant." Falco replied, then looked down at the sheet of paper. "Oh, look. Your angelic girlfriend goes first!"

I snickered, then asked, "Who are they against?"

"Marth and Roy. Two princes against a princess and her boyfriend. ...Oh, yeah, sorry Fox."

"Sorry? For what?"

"You don't like me talking about Link being Zelda's...you know."

"I don't mind. What's true is true. I have to tell myself the same thing so that I don't go up to her and start flirting with her!"

Falco burst out laughing and started hammering the table with his fist. It took him about two minutes to stop laughing, then he grinned at me. "You try and flirt openly with a girl?" He started laughing again.

I chuckled, knowing how impossible that was for me to do. At seventeen years old, I had not once flirted with a girl as openly as Falco could.

Falco stopped laughing, then patted my back. "That's why I admire you, Fox! You don't go in there and get yourself killed! You let them come to you! I probably could've had a girlfriend by now if I hadn't been so forthcoming!"

"What about Katt?" I asked him, surprised. "I thought she liked you!"

"Man, we went out for three months, then we broke up!" Falco groaned. "We just decided not to tell anyone, that's all!"

"How come?"

"...Hey, you know my ego. Could you imagine how Slippy would react if he found out that handsome, successful Falco had broken up with one of the most beautiful women in the Lylat system?"

"I see."

"He'd never let me live it down!" Falco exclaimed then went back to the paper. "Well, Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu go against Ness and Nana, and then Captain Falcon will fight the winner the next day. Also, we're against Bowser and Ganondorf!"

I nodded, finishing off my drink at the same time. "Think we're going to surprise everyone again, and crush those two?"

"We can run circles around those two slugs!" Falco laughed, then stood up. "Well, I'm going to my room."

"So soon?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I was going to watch this one show I like that I've been neglecting."

Our dorms are kind of like college dorms, except they are for one person only each (Popo and Nana, however, requested that they are in the same room). We brought some personal things in from our homes to these dorms, and they also installed things that the being living in it might like to have. Falco asked for a TV, but I didn't want anything like that.

"Here, you take the times," Falco handed me the paper for the times and battles. "We don't have to wait for all of the battlers for the first one, and I know how much you want to see your vision of loveliness' battle Marth and Roy." He snickered at his joke, then continued. "You can come wake me up and we'll see it together. I think Marth and Roy will win, but I know who YOU are rooting for!"

"You'd better believe it!"

"Well, see you tomorrow! Don't hit on Zelda unless I can see it!" Falco left the auditorium, laughing his head off.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of me trying to use a dumb pick-up line for Zelda. The thought was ludicrous.

The rest of the day went all right. I went to the Target Test to brush up on my skills. I beat my old time by half a second, which is pretty good, considering how tight my old time was. I also tried the Homerun Contest but couldn't get the punching bag to go any further than usual. I tried doing a combination of punches and kicks, and every fighting combo attack I could think of.

When nighttime rolled around, I went to my dorm at last. I decided to read a little before going to sleep. I have to put on reading glasses, for I'm a tad far-sighted. After so many intense Arwing battles, I'm much better at seeing things from far away, but for things like reading books, I have to wear these glasses. They're not as annoying as I thought they would be when I had to get them when I was fourteen.

After reading for about an hour, I set the time for my alarm clock, then went to bed.

* * *

BEEEEEEP!! BEEEEEEP!! BEEEEEEP!! BEEEEEEP!! BEEEEEEP!!

I groggily pushed the button on the clock that turned off the alarm. I hated that alarm; I was thinking of asking for a new alarm clock.

Waking up as always been hard for me, but when I remembered that Zelda and Link were going to battle, my body seemed to be full of energy. I sprang out of bed and walked out of my dorm.

The sun hammered my eyes when I walked outside, and it took a few seconds to get adjusted to the intense sunlight. After I adjusted, I yawned and stretched in the sunlight, basking in its warmth.

I walked over to Falco's dorm room. He had a bumper sticker on his door that said, Laser guns don't kill people. I DO!!' It always made me chuckle; that was surely something Falco would say.

I knocked on the door. "Falco! Come on, buddy!" I called to him. I waited for about a minute, but there was no reply. "Falco! Hey, come on! I don't want to be late!"

There was still no reply. Had Falco already gone to the stadium? Was he in a really deep sleep? I took hold of the doorknob and pushed forward, but it didn't budge!

"Falco? Did you lock the door?" I called to him. I tried the door again, but it didn't seem locked. I shoved hard and the door swung open. I heard a chair clatter to the floor when I pushed it open; what was Falco doing?

I've seen Falco's room before. There is a bookcase to the direct right of the door, and in front of the door is his desk. The bathroom door is just beyond that, and the bed is to the left. The TV is against the eastern wall.

"Falco? Why was the door-" I started, but stopped when I saw him.

Falco lay splayed out on his bed. There was an unreadable look on his face, his eyes looking up lifelessly at the ceiling. In his right hand, he was clutching his laser gun. There was a bloody, fatal wound in the middle of his chest, and blood still ran down the bed sheets, which were covered in blood.

My heart stopped beating. My mind began spinning, and any kind of reality I thought existed vanished. I whispered his name, praying he wasn't dead.

Yet I could tell from the doorway that his body was already stiff from being dead for so long. My knees went weak and I collapsed to the ground, non-consciously still clutching the doorknob. Tears spilt from my eyes and fall to the floor, yet I didn't notice. My brain seemed to turn off completely.

Falco Lombardi, my closest friend, was dead.


	3. Days of Misery

Chapter 3 - Days of Misery

***Zelda Gaiden***

It seemed too hard to believe what had happened earlier today.

Falco Lombardi was killed, and his friend Fox was the one who found out. He was so in shock that he couldn't say anything for several hours; he just stared into space with those grief-stricken, teary eyes that made my heart break.

I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I had seen one my friends dead, killed by themselves or someone else. I couldn't even bear to think of that.

Authority members were now searching his room, but they've told all of us that it is obvious that Falco had committed suicide.

"Link!" I called to my boyfriend, who was walking towards the stadium.

The fights had been cancelled for today and for tomorrow, when Falco's funeral would be held. I wondered why Link was going to the stadium, until he answered my question as if he read my mind.

"Hi, Zelda. Roy wanted to talk to me, and he's waiting in the stadium for me," he replied.

"May I come?" I asked, begging with my eyes.

He shrugged. "I don't see why not. But why?" he asked as we started walking again.

"I...don't feel very safe. One of our friends has been murdered, and-"

"He committed suicide. And he wasn't really our friend," Link pointed out.

I was a bit annoyed at how blunt he was, but that is how Link is. "Well...that is true...," I admitted. "But I still don't feel safe!"

"Don't worry. You're very capable of taking care of yourself, and you always have me to help you out!"

I smiled and wrapped my arm around his waist. Then I suddenly remembered poor Fox, and sighed heavily. "Do you know how Fox is doing now?"

"He's talking again, and the police are questioning him."

"Surely they don't suspect him!" I exclaimed incredulously. I couldn't imagine innocent, quiet Fox killing his only friend!

"No, they don't. They want to know why Falco killed himself."

***Fox McCloud***

"Falco did NOT kill himself!! How many times do I have to tell you people?"

I was the point of either tears or an explosion from these officers. They kept asking me questions, all of them circling around the unbelievable idea that my friend had killed himself.

"Mr. McCloud!" their leader spoke up, trying to calm me down.

We were sitting at a table, five of us in all. Three of the officers were human; one of them was from the Lylat system, for he was part raven, part human. The Lylat system man was their leader.

"I know how much you liked Mr. Lombardi, but he was found with his laser gun in his hand. Now surely, you can see the simple-"

"Falco is LEFT handed!" I exclaimed, losing my cool no matter how hard I was trying to stay calm. "Left handed! His laser gun was in his right hand! Tell me why he would shoot himself with his other hand!"

One of the human officers looked at the Lylat officer. The human was in his twenties, tanned skinned and muscular. He quietly said, "Does make kind of sense, Officer Neevar."

His boss glared at him, then looked back at me. "We have had victims who have shot themselves with their bad hand, Mr. McCloud. We've also had ones that, like your friend, just committed suicide out of the blue. You must understand that he is not the first of this kind of problem!"

I shook my head, unable to believe it. Yet Officer Neevar continued. "You don't know how many people just change during one night, Mr. McCloud! We've had people from all across the universe that suddenly kill themselves, kill others, start up things like crime or drugs or addiction problems, and all other problems! It has happened!"

"Well, Falco had no reason to! He was perfectly happy the way he was."

"A few of the other contestants at the tournament told me that he stormed out of the stadium during the last fight. Is that not so?"

"...It is so, but are you telling me he killed himself due to that?!"

"No, because it probably added up from many things in the past that pushed him over the edge!"

This guy was sounding more and more like a psychiatrist than an officer. I was beginning to lose my mind.

The questioning seemed to go now forever, and when they finally let me go, they were more than convinced that their theory that Falco had committed was right.

"By the way, Mr. McCloud!" Officer Raven called to me. "Since you are the only one who knows the location of Falco's family and friends, our chief would like for you to tell them the news about your son!"

I glared at him, almost ready to snap. I had to tell Falco's family and our friends he was dead?! How on earth could they do such a thing to me?! Haven't they realized I've suffered enough?

"We thought it would also be best, for you could break the news best to them. Anyone else wouldn't be able to them without making it sound heartless. You must understand-"

"No, no, you're right. I'm sorry. I-I'll tell them," I stammered, nodding sadly.

Officer Neevar nodded back, then said, "I am truly sorry about all this, Fox McCloud. You're a hero in our galaxy, and good people like you shouldn't have to be put through so much pain. I suggest you spend some time with some of your other friends here today."

I looked down at the ground, my mind still buzzing with millions of thoughts. "I don't have any friends here," I muttered under my breath, then walked away.

I wanted to go to the stadium. Maybe I could be alone there. Maybe...

"Fox!" I heard a heavenly voice call to me.

I looked behind me to see Zelda and Link looking at me. Zelda said something to her boyfriend, then walked over to me. Link continued walking to the stadium, which was close to us.

"I...I really don't know what to say," she stammered, having to look down to look into my eyes. She is about two or three inches taller than I am normally, and I had to add a few more due to her high heels. "I...I really wish that you didn't have to be the one to see him."

"So did I," I muttered, looking down at the ground. I was trying not to cry, for I didn't want to look helpless to her.

"I'm really sorry...just don't beat yourself up, okay? You were his only friend here, so you're not responsible for this at all. I don't know if he committed suicide or was murdered, but I do know that you aren't in any fault in this."

I looked up into her sapphire eyes. She was so caring, so wonderful that I could kiss her for being so sweet.

"Thank you," was all I could whisper.

She smiled weakly, then patted my shoulder and walked away to catch up with Link.

Nervously, I tapped the buttons on the televi-phone. A televi-phone is a device we have in the Lylat system that lets you talk to the being you're speaking to on a phone, and you can see them on a small TV screen. With trembling hands, I weakly tapped in Falco's home number. I swallowed hard when I remembered how hard this was going to be. Falco had a mom, dad, and two younger sisters. How was I going to break such hard news to any of them?

Suddenly, the screen lit up and Falco's dad was looking back at me. He smiled when he saw me, for he knows me well.

"Ah, Fox!" he exclaimed. "How's everything at the tournament? I saw you and Falco win yesterday! Boy, did you two kick butt! Where is Falco, anyway?" he laughed, then added, "Don't tell me he has you calling his folks now?"

"Actually, Mr. Lombardi...th-that's why I'm calling. It's about Falco...," I stammered, once again trying not to cry.

Mr. Lombardi looked at me, puzzled. "What about Falco?"

"Falco...Falco is...,"

"Fox, what's wrong?" he asked, growing more serious.

I took a deep breath, but it didn't help much. "Falco is dead, sir."

Falco's dad looked horrified, then sad, and then angry. "What?" he shouted. "Falco? It can't be!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" I sobbed, tears rolling down my face.

"Fox, are...are you sure?" he asked, pleading with his eyes that I was joking.

I nodded weakly. "I'm the one who found him, sir."

"Oh...oh...," his dad moaned. I saw him pull up a chair, then sat down on it before he hit the ground. "I'm so sorry you had to see him...,"

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Lombardi!" I choked, wiping my tears away.

"Son, you were Falco's best friend. I know how you feel!"

I heard Falco's mom from somewhere in the house call out, "Honey! What is it? Who's on the phone?"

"Fox, honey!" Mr. Lombardi answered, then looked back at me. "I...I'll have to tell them myself. Do you want me to tell Peppy and Slippy, or-"

"No, no. I should do that."

"Okay," Falco's dad looked close to tears. He was a strong man, looking like Falco thirty years older and wiser. "When...when is the funeral?"

"Tomorrow, here. I'll have Peppy bring you here."

"There? Shouldn't it be in Lylat, his home system?"

"You know how Falco was, sir. He didn't really care where he was buried, for lost all interest when you all had to leave Zoness, your home planet.

"Yes, that's right. I...I guess I'd better tell his mom and sisters now. ...Thank you, Fox!" he added, tears now starting to roll down his eyes.

"You're...you're welcome, sir! Good-bye," I uttered, then hung up. I didn't want to imagine Falco's sweet mom and cute sisters hearing the news about Falco's death. They will go to pieces, I just know it...

Why? Why did Falco have to die?

Anger began to rise inside of me for the first time. Whoever killed him had brought horrible pain and anguish to his dear family.

"I'll find out who killed Falco!" I whispered to myself. "I swear I will!"

***Roy***

"Ah, Miss Zelda!" I said as I bowed to her slightly. "I wasn't aware that you were coming!"

"I asked to come. I'm sorry if it bothers you-"

"No, no! I am fine with it." Turning to Link, I asked, "Are you aware that our fight has been postponed for two days?"

"Yes."

"Ah, good. ...Do you know how Fox is handling this?"

"He seems fine now." Link replied, very emotionlessly.

Zelda looked unsure about what Link had said, then commented, "He's a bit depressed, however."

"Oh, he is?" I looked at the fair princess. "It is a shame his friend died. Also that he was his only friend."

Link and Zelda only nodded, so I continued. "Yes, I wonder why Falco committed suicide."

"It hasn't been proved yet that he-" Zelda started, but her boyfriend interrupted him.

"Honey, he was found with his laser gun in his hand."

"An easy set-up for a killer to make it look like he killed himself."

I shuddered, then spoke my mind. "I'd hate to think that there is a murderer among or around us." I shrugged, then shook my head in grief. "It was a shame that the last time we saw him was him sulking away from us."

"What happened at that fight?" Zelda asked.

"It...is a shame to admit...but no one cheered at the end of the fight when Fox and Falco won that battle."

"...What?!" Zelda exclaimed. "How come?!"

Hesitantly, I answered, "Well...on my case, it was the shock that they had won. I would've bet my sword that Donkey Kong and Mewtwo were going to emerge victorious. I was so...shocked that they won, I forgot to applaud. I guess it was shock, admiration and disbelief that stopped us all from applauding."

"You can only guess why Bowser and Ganondorf were quiet." Link added.

Zelda looked very surprised. "...Well, that doesn't sound like something Falco would commit suicide over!"

I nodded sadly. "I wish I knew what happened to Falco. Sure, it looks like a suicide. Also, I hope this doesn't drive to Fox to the same path.

***Fox McCloud***

Calling Peppy wasn't as hard as calling Falco's dad, but it was still hard. Peppy looked like someone hit him when I told him the news. After he recovered briefly, he told me he would tell Slippy for me, and then said good-bye.

After calling, I stumbled over to my room and fell onto my bed. I just wanted to cry. Cry for Falco, cry for his family, cry about everything.

The day of Falco's funeral came quite quickly. I was dressed in my usual Star Fox outfit; the tan jacket, green shirt and pants, metal boots, white gloves, and a red bandana. I was supposed to dress like this for a fellow Star Fox member's funeral.

When I walked out of my room, Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu were right at the door.

"We just wanted to say we're sorry for not cheering at the tournament!" Pichu spoke up before I could even greet them.

"We were mocking the audience!" Mr. Game & Watch exclaimed. "If you saw us, we were standing on our seats with our mouths hanging and our arms hanging lazily! We tried to look, like, weird! We're sorry! We didn't know-"

"Guys! Guys!" I exclaimed, trying to get my voice over their powerful vocals. "I understand!" I smiled weakly. "Thanks, anyway."

"So everything's okay? You have no desire to kill us?" Pichu spoke up.

"Of course not!" I replied, shocked that they would even think I would have such a desire.

"YAY!!" the two ran off, cheering and waving their arms as if they had heard the greatest news ever. I don't think I'll ever understand those two, yet I like them anyway."

I started walking in the direction of the parking lot. The others were also heading there, for a few limousines were going to take us there. I didn't really care for traveling in such luxury, but it wasn't that big of a problem.

As I walking to the parking lot, I saw a few of my fellow battlers walking to the parking lot. Zelda, dressed in a black dress, was with Link, who was in his black tunic. Zelda saw me and waved at me, and I waved back with a weak smile. It wasn't her type of color', but black looked okay on her.

Captain Falcon and Samus Aran were also walking to the parking lot, both of them dressed in black. Yoshi didn't look any different, except that he looked sad, which is depressing to see.

"Fox!" I heard a female voice call me from behind. Turning around, trying to remember where I heard that voice before, I saw the girl I least expected to be here running towards me.

It was Katt Feline, Falco's old girlfriend. Katt has pink, silky-looking fur in every place I have fur, and she has a long, pink tail. She wears her head fur in a slightly long ponytail. She's about my height, and she is quite thin. Katt is very, VERY attractive to Lylat standards. She was dressed in her uniform, which is very similar to a Star Fox outfit.

She ran up to me, panting for air. I approached her, exclaiming, "Katt! What are you doing here?"

Katt looked at me with green eyes that were slightly bloodshot from crying. "Is it true?" she asked weakly. "Falco...is...?"

I nodded slowly, and she sobbed loudly. Before I expected it, she threw herself onto me and cried loudly. I was very startled, but I have good reaction time, so I didn't fall down. I rubbed her back for comfort, yet the way she was crying, it seemed that she was going to get over it as slowly as I was going to.

At the parking lot, I led Katt to the limousine and invited her to ride with us. She nodded without saying anything, trying to rub her tears away.

Inside the limo were Zelda, Link, Luigi, Yoshi and Marth. They all looked at Katt the same way anyone would if a total stranger was suddenly in their presence.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing all of you!" I apologized as Katt and I sat down. "Katt, this is Zelda Gaiden, Link, Luigi, Yoshi and Marth. Everybody, this is Katt Feline."

"Hi," Katt tried to sound like she still had some energy as she shook Zelda's hand. "I'm Falco's old girlfriend. Fox introduced me to him."

"Yoshi sorry for Katt," Yoshi spoke up. He has a very limited vocabulary, even as he is still learning.

"Thank you!" Katt smiled weakly at Yoshi.

The trip was unusually quiet, apart from Yoshi playing with the power windows and Zelda trying to talk to Katt.

"So...what do you do for a living, Katt?" Zelda had asked her.

"The same thing Fox does; fly a space plane and destroy any enemy aircraft. It's quite rough at times, which is why Fox is so famous in the Lylat system. He makes it look so easy, like if anybody could fly an Arwing!"

I couldn't help but blush. "Well, I do what I can for my system," I added.

"You never told us what a hero you were, Fox!" Marth exclaimed, sounding fascinated.

Katt looked at me, smiling for the first time. "Ah, you wouldn't see old Fox blowing his horn! He's as modest as a guy can be!"

" Old'?" I repeated, getting scattered laughs.

"It must be great to fly a...plane all the time!" Zelda repeated. Her time hasn't heard of planes before, but she has adjusted to all the technology we have here.

The conversation was interrupted quite suddenly when Yoshi started calling for help; the little guy had somehow caught his nose in the window, and was panicking too much to try to bring down the window with the switch.

***

The funeral was relatively short. It was in the middle of the graveyard, where the reverend said his little piece. I didn't pay any attention, for I was too busy thinking about Falco, and studying the faces of the crowd.

Falco's parents and sisters...I can't even begin to explain how depressed they looked. Peppy and Slippy were standing next to them, looking almost as grieved. Katt, who was by me the entire funeral, kept trying not to sob out loud and constantly wiped tears from her eyes. All of my fellow Smashers were there, apart from Ganondorf and Bowser, who did not come.

The Smashers all looked sad, yet it was a random few that stood out from the crowd. Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu, whom were almost impossible to act quietly, were dead silent and morbid-looking. Marth looked very serious and grieved, like a knight of old times that at the funeral of a fellow knight. Zelda looked very sorrowful, more than the others did.

When the preacher was done, it was time to go. I approached the box as everyone stood up to leave. Falco's jacket was folded and placed gently on the top. His Star Fox pin gleamed in the sunlight, and reflected into my eyes. I winced slightly, then softly touched the pin. "Good-bye...my friend," I whispered, barely hearing my own voice.

"Fox?" I heard Katt speak from behind me. Turning around, I saw Falco's dad standing near her.

"I just...wanted to say thank you, Fox," he said. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he extended his hand. I extended mine, and we shook. "You were Falco's best friend, and I owe a lot to you. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have become the man that he grew up to be."

I was touched. "Thank you, sir," was all I able to say.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" he added, then walked back to his family.

Walking towards the parking lot, Slippy approached Katt and I. "Hey, Fox! You okay?"

"...I'll get by. How are you, Slippy?"

"Still in a bit of shock, I guess. Anyway, Peppy wanted me to tell you that we'll be taking Katt home now! With...," he trailed off, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence.

Katt looked at me with her sorrowful eyes, a look crushed my soul once again. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said to her slowly, "It was...good to see you again, Katt."

"Same here, Fox," she whispered, looking down at the ground. She approached me slowly and hugged me, trying to calm herself down. I hugged her back, trying to find any comfort at all.

"I'll miss him," she sobbed into my jacket. "I never should've broken up with him! Now that he's gone...I now know how much I cared for him!"

"I'll miss him too. He was my only friend here!" I replied softly.

Her head slowly raised up to mine, and I felt her warm lips against my cheek. She then looked into my eyes and whispered, "Thank you...for always being there for him."

Before I could think of anything to say to her, she turned away and left with Slippy. I watched them leave, Slippy and I saying good-bye shortly.

Wiping my own tear away from my face, I tried to pull myself together with a deep breath. Then I heard distinctive footsteps coming from behind me.

"Fox?" the cute voice of Yoshi came from behind me as I turned around. He still looked very sad, his normally twinkling eyes now moist from crying. "We're ready to go. You ready, or you wanna spend more time here?"

"No, I'm ready to go," I answered somewhat weakly.

Yoshi nodded. I noticed impression on the top of his nose that the window had left on him, but just barely. My vulpine eyes are very good at catching those small things.

We walked back to the limo and climbed in. In the limo this time was Jigglypuff, Roy, Pichu, Mr. Game & Watch and Mewtwo.

On the ride back to the stadium, there was barely any talk, but plenty of noise. The green dinosaur had brought himself out of his pit of misery by playing with the radio. It was a tad annoying, but since it cheered Yoshi up, I didn't complain.

The only talking that took place was Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu asking for Yoshi to switch to a DJ called Dr. Demento', and Roy asking me a question when we arrived at the stadium.

"Fox?" he spoke up as the limo came to a stop. "Are you going to be okay?" I looked up at him slowly, in deep thought about all kinds of things.

"I will when I find out the truth about Falco," was my quiet answer.


	4. Fighting For Falco's Honor

****

Disclaimer - I do not own Super Smash Brothers Melee, Fox, Samus, Zelda, any of the other characters, or Celebrity Deathmatch.

****

Note - Fox uses a few moves that don't exsist in SSBM. I just wanted to point that out for all the experts (like myself). The fact is, in a real melee, you don't use the same moves over and over, and you can aim your laser gun anywhere you want.

****

Apology - I humbly apologize to all of the Celebrity Deathmatch fans out there for what is said about it in this chapter. I do not fully agree with what the characters say about. I just don't like that they had 'Weird Al' Yankovic die to Al Gore (bleah) and several of my favorite celebrities die to people they should've easily beaten. My apologies, and I hope you can forgive me.

Chapter 4 - Fighting For Falco's Honor

***Samus Aran***

After Falco's funeral, nothing was the same again. Fox was in a state of depression, so deep that he rarely ever talked. We all knew he was bent on trying to figure out whom had killed' Falco, regardless of how it was obvious that he killed himself. It was very sad to see him in such anguish, especially since he always kept by himself.

The majority of us were also different. Zelda, the sweet gal whose always caring for others, seemed depressed, even though she didn't know Falco. Yoshi didn't always seem as happy as he normally used to be. Roy was a mixture of emotions: sadness, confusion and guilty.

Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch had not changed much,"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY HAD AL GORE KILL WEIRD AL' YANKOVIC!!" Pichu's high-pitched voice rang out around the restaurant. "THAT'S SO STUPID!! Weird Al' would just call Harvey to eat that stupid politician!"

"I'm telling you, dude, he killed him by sucking his brain out through his eye socket!" Mr. Game & Watch replied.

It had been two days since the funeral, and today we were going to start up the tournament again. There had been many delays that brought us to this day, because of legal reasons and other nonsense. We were all at the restaurant, having all our lunch. Yet some of us were losing our appetites, for some strange reason.

"WHAT?! HE SUCKED HIS BRAINS OUT!? WEIRD AL' WOULD HAVE TURNED AROUND AND RIPPED OUT AL GORE'S INTESTINES WITH A FORK!!" Pichu hollered.

Looking around, I noticed that some people had stopped eating. Ness was starting to turn a little green, Link was looking irritated, Peach looked pretty nauseous, and Fox was looking frustrated.

"Knock it off, guys!" Captain Falcon, who was the only one sitting with me, shouted at the two clowns.

"What?!" Pichu replied. " Celebrity Deathmatch' just had a stinking politician kill the greatest singer of all time! Why should I remain silent?!"

"You're grossing some of us out!" Falcon replied.

"Oh, sorry! I know, it makes me sick to think about it, too!" he turned around to Mr. Game & Watch, and could faintly hear him say, "I didn't know the Captain was a Weird Al' fan! Cool!"

I turned my attention to Captain Falcon, who was looking at his fries, as if he was going to dare to eat them. "Thanks, Falcon!"

"Don't mention it. ...I should've asked sooner, though. I don't think I can eat these now."

"What? The great bounty hunter can't even stomach a few fries? Guess you're not so tough after all!" I teased him, and he glared at me.

"You're lucky you're not in that suit of yours, or I'd challenge you to a fight!" he growled, then ate a few fries.

"You take everything too seriously! Why don't you lighten up?" I asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Hey, didn't one of our fellow Smashers just get killed? Maybe YOU need to take things more seriously!" he snapped at me.

"Excuse me? There is a difference between taking life seriously, and taking life TOO seriously! Look at you, carrying your gun around like if you're expecting to be mugged at any time!" I pointed out. "And with your strength, why should you worry?"

"I carry it around because I prefer carrying it around! Why do you have to question my motives all the time?" he asked, clearly frustrated. "Everything I say or do is criticized in every way possible! I'm beginning to wonder if you're my partner, or my mother!"

I rolled my eyes in frustration. We usually argued about this, and I was getting tired of it. Tired of arguing with him, and tired of trying to change him. He is fine the way he is, but my pride won't allow me to admit that to him.

***Zelda Gaiden***

I was sitting with Link, Young Link and Popo, trying to keep my mind off of the grizzly things Pichu had been shouting. That baby Pokémon is more crude than some of the oldest Smashers here! It just didn't seem right.

"So now Ness is really digging my sister!" Popo exclaimed, snapping my attention back to him. "It's so cool! They're even holding hands! And it's all cause of me! I paired the two together, and they're together almost instantly! I should be a matchmaker!"

"Forget matchmaker, dude!" Young Link chimed. "You should be Cupid! An eskimo Cupid is what the world needs!"

I smiled, then looked around the restaurant casually. Captain Falcon and Samus Aran were arguing again, yet quietly, so as not to disturb anyone. Nana and Ness were sharing a chocolate shake, which looked unbelievably cute and romantic! Yoshi, while Mario wasn't looking, lashed his tongue out and snagged a bunch of Mario's fries. I giggled at the comical sight.

Then I laid eyes on poor Fox. My hart sank when I saw the look of angst on his face. He had food in front of him, but I could see he hadn't eaten of it. He just stared the window, his face crossed with sorrow and confusion.

I felt so sorry for him. He had lost his best friend to what we all believed to be suicide, but he would agree with that. He barely talked, I rarely saw him eat, and he always looked like he was thinking about something. Something that puzzled him, like if he was trying to solve a mystery and deal with a heavy heart at the same time.

I couldn't take looking at him anymore; he had been sitting alone at meals and meetings ever since Falco's death. It was time one of us tried to help him.

"Hey, Link?" I said to my boyfriend. "I'm going to go sit with Fox for a bit. He looks awfully lonely."

"I think he likes it that way, dear," he replied, turning his attention from his hyped-up younger self and Popo. "You didn't see him in the last tournament; he always sat by himself. I think he likes being alone, for some strange reason."

"Yeah, but he just lost his best friend. He needs someone to talk to, at least."

Link looked at me for a few seconds, and could see in his beautiful eyes that he thought I was being a bit crazy. For a second, I thought he was going to tell me not to go over to Fox, but then he smiled.

"Go on, honey," he told me politely.

I smiled back and kissed his cheek. While picking up my tray, I heard Young Link wolf-whistle at the kiss. Smirking at him, I headed over to Fox's table and sat down at the opposite side.

He was so busy thinking and looking out the window that he didn't notice me. I cleared my throat quite loudly to intentionally get his attention. When he looked around and saw me, his eyes grew very wide.

"Z-Zelda!" he stammered. "Wh-what...,"

"Hi, Fox! I just wanted to sit with you. You've been alone for some time now!"

"W-Well...I just...don't think I'd be good company. I...I've been thinking about...Falco...and I'm trying to figure out what...happened to him...," Fox stammered as he spoke.

"I think we all are thinking about Falco now, Fox," I told him softly. "But...may I ask why you think Falco didn't commit suicide?"

"There are many reasons and points that st-state that he didn't. His laser gun...," he took a deep breath, trying to psyche himself up to continue. "...His laser gun was found in his right hand. But Falco is...l-left handed."

He extended his left hand, pointing to it as if to prove his point. "I...I don't think Falco would use his right hand if he were to kill himself."

His hand was shaking unsteadily from the emotion flowing through him. I gently took his hand and held it for comfort. Fox seemed to get more nervous, then took another deep breath. He closed his eyes, then looked at me again. "Thank you, Zelda."

"You're welcome. So...who is going to be your new partner in the next fight?" I asked politely, after releasing his hand.

He paused for a few seconds, then answered, "I...I am going to be fighting alone. There is no one available, so I'll be fighting against my opponents alone."

I was shocked. I had the fights for today's tournaments memorized, so I knew who he would be fighting: Bowser and Ganondorf.

"But...Fox, honey! You're up against Ganondorf and Bowser!" I informed him. "Surely, you'll want help for those two monsters! We could always pair up the Ice Climbers and have one of their old partners fight with you!"

He looked at me with his keen, blue eyes and smiled weakly. "I couldn't do that. Have you seen how happy Ness and Nana are together? They should spend some more time together as a team without Popo with them. I don't know much about siblings, but I do know that you probably don't want your brother or sister around you when you're spending time with your new boyfriend or girlfriend!"

I smiled, touched by his kindness. "I know probably less than you about siblings, but I believe you're right."

"YOU'RE KIDDING!! THEY ALSO HAD MELISSA JOAN HEART DIE?!" Pichu's voice shattered the mood and rang all over the restaurant.

Fox leaned back in his seat, then glanced down at his food. He picked up a few French fries, then looked up at me. "So...who are you fighting next, princess?" He asked, then ate the French fries he had taken.

"You may call me Zelda, Fox. I don't want to be referred around here as if I'm above everyone else."

Fox smiled at me, then nodded. "Okay then. I'll remember that."

"Thank you. And to answer your question, Link and I will be fighting Marth and Roy."

Fox nodded again, then thought of something. "Those two have dangerous weapons. It would be best to keep your distance, if possible."

I smiled at him. "That's kind of you, to give me advice." With a pause, I asked him, "What strategy would you take if you were fighting me?"

"Jump off the edge of the platform to save time."

I laughed at his joke, but was more pleased that he was now no longer in a depressed mood. "Seriously now though, what would you suggest?"

He paused for a second, then replied, "As your normal self, you're good at getting back to the platform with Farore's Wind. It would be best to try and send you into the horizon, or you'll just keep coming back. As Sheik, projectiles would be a good idea, since you're so good at close combat."

"Interesting," I replied. "How about Ganondorf and Bowser?"

"They both stink at jumping, so I'll have to hit them downwards. Also, they both hit awfully hard, so I'd better keep as much distance as I can spare."

I nodded, then noticed that Link had walked over to us. "Hey, Zelda? It's about time for us to go. We shouldn't keep Marth and Roy waiting."

"Oh, yes," I nodded at him, then looked back at Fox. "I have to go, sorry."

"I'll be at the stadium shortly, so I'll be seeing you soon," he replied. "Thanks for your company."

"You're welcome!" I replied. Then as Link and I turned towards the door, Fox called out to Link.

"Hey, Link? Just for a tip of advice, Marth's sword hurts for more at the tip, while Roy hurts more in the center. That might be handy to know if you sword duel then!"

I looked at Link, who replied, "I fight my own battles, but thank you." Even though Link was being polite, I could sense the irritation in his voice.

As we were leaving, I said to him, "Why did you say that? He was just trying to help!"

"Zelda, I'm quite capable of fighting for myself! It was awfully generous of him to say so, but if there is one thing I've learned when fighting, it's that you always forget strategy and just start slashing!"

I had to agree with him there. As we were walking out the door, I could hear Pichu's piercing voice exclaim, "WHAT?! THEY KILLED STEVEN SPEILBERG TOO?! THAT'S IT!! GIMME THEIR ADDRESS!!"

***Fox McCloud***

I couldn't believe it. My heart was racing a million miles an hour, which I could saw the same for my pulse.

She had talked to me. More to the point, she was concerned about me. I couldn't believe it. And here I was starting to think that she would never notice me.

As she spoke to me, as she held my hand for comfort, I remembered why I had fallen in love with her. She was so caring, so wonderful that it amazed me beyond words.

Yet when she left with Link, it just rubbed it in my nose that she was still with him, and would probably never be available to the likes of me. After all, I am a vulpine Cornerian whose technology and culture differ greatly than hers. Also, she is a princess, and there was no way I could convince her father that I would be worthy of his fair daughter.

If Falco were here, he would counter that by saying how many pretty Lylat girls would want me. Then he would probably add that this would be before they put their glasses on, just to give me a hard time and make me laugh. He would also add that Zelda would bring too much of a pain with all of her royalty rules and cultures.

But Falco wasn't here to say this. There was only me, trying to figure out who could've killed him, and why.

The first two fights went pretty fast, more quickly than I had wished them to. Zelda and Link defeated Roy and Marth, but just barely. Zelda lost both of her stock after Roy lost both of his, and Link just barely managed to defeat Marth with a well-aimed Bob-omb. This all took place on the simple level of Battlefield.

Ness and Nana took on Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu in Fourside, and the fight ended pretty quickly. Ness and Nana won without losing a stock each (but getting very high in percentages), but Pichu came out the winner in spirit. He had shouted as loud as he could, "CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH SUCKS!! MAY THE PRODUCERS BURN IN HELL!!" when he was standing on the top of the middle skyscraper. I'm sure that fans of whatever that show was were very much annoyed, but the way Pichu was carrying on about how awful and inhumane' that show was, it seemed very important to him.

Captain Falcon and Samus Aran fighting would be fighting Ness and Nana tomorrow. I had no clue who could win that fight, but now wasn't the time to think about that.

After the four were transported back, it was time for me to take on Ganondorf and Bowser. They both smirked cockily at me as they walked over to the transporter and stood in place.

As I walked past Captain Falcon, who was once again using the controls, I heard him whisper to me. "Yo, Fox!"

I looked over at him with a questioning look. "Yes, Falcon?"

"Any map you want in particular? I'd be happy to help you out against those tow scumbags!" he added.

I shrugged, then replied, "Anything but Flat Zone. No offense to our two friends who just arrived, but I need all of the flying distance I can get."

"FLAT ZONE!!" Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu exclaimed, as if on cue.

I chuckled, then looked back at Falcon. "Mushroom Kingdom II would be great, since those two wouldn't fare well in the side pits."

"Gotcha!" he whispered with a small salute. I saluted him back, then walked over to the transporter.

We were transported to the waiting room', then Mushroom Kingdom II was chosen in less than a minute. As we were transported into the arena, I couldn't help but smile. I'd have to do something for Captain Falcon one of these days.

I appeared on the left side of the middle platform. Ganondorf was on the same platform, only on the right side, and Bowser was on the ledge behind him.

"Prepare to lose, Fox!" Ganondorf snarled as he put up his fists. "You'll be committing suicide after this fight, just like your loser friend!"

How dare he! My face turned to a most angry and dangerous one, and I whipped out my laser gun and started blasting him with rapid-fire laser shots. He smirked at the little damage he was receiving, and ran towards me. However, I expected this and kicked him back.

Yet I was caught off-guard when Bowser came plummeting down from the sky and slammed down on me, sending me into the air. I quickly used my Fox Fire to hit him back, but then I was hit by Ganondorf's fist. Knocked back on the middle platform, I grabbed onto the edge and pulled myself up and kicked out at him. Yet when I was on my feet completely, Bowser's powerful fist knocked me into the air again.

It became apparent to me when I landed on the left ledge of the map that if I concentrated on one opponent, they would always catch me off-guard and beat me easily. With them both coming after me, I used Fox Illusion and dashed forward, hitting them both into the air. I landed on the middle platform, then shot at them from the air with my laser gun.

Ganondorf came shooting down with his powerful Wizard's Foot, but I rolled to the side. I rushed forward and grabbed him quickly. Remembering that Bowser come any minute, I lifted Ganondorf over my head and flung him down into the pit. Turning around, I saw Bowser stomping towards me.

There was a sudden crash, the distinct sound of someone losing a stock. That had to be Ganondorf, which surprised me, for I had no clue that I could throw him that hard! It must have been from the adrenaline and my fury towards him for what he said.

Bowser inhaled and breathed fire at me, a steady stream of hissing heat. Yet I kept my distance and blasted him with a barrage of laser fire. I kept an eye above me, making sure that Ganondorf wouldn't get the drop on me.

When he did come, I quickly jumped to the right ledge, still firing at Bowser. Ganondorf tried to punch me with a backward punch, but missed and just barely grabbed onto the ledge of the middle platform.

Bowser was now running towards me, furious and roaring, "I'll kill you, you stupid pest! You'll be joining your turkey friend in a few seconds!"

I was once enraged, my breath coming out as sharp hisses. How dare they speak like that about Falco! I would show them!

With all my strength, I drove my fist down onto Bowser's head, sending him down into the pit below him. He roared loudly as the signifying crash and short fireworks of his stock loss were seen and heard.

After that, everything went downhill.

Ganondorf jumped at me and hammered me with a hard punch when I straightening up from spiking Bowser down. He grabbed my leg and hurled me across the map, laughing wickedly as he did so. Bowser appeared and grabbed me with his claw when I hit the ground. After biting me twice, he slammed me into the ground. With a breath of fire, he added more damage to my percentage.

I could barely score a hit on them, for the two were now like a flood of strong of moves, hammering me hard and sending me riccoching between the two of them. They were toying with me, and I knew it.

I was quite certain my percentage was around two hundred when they declared that they were going to finish me off. I desperately whipped my tail at Bowser, who was closer. Catching him in the face, I punched him with all my might, but it only sent him back a few inches. He pulled back his head, signifying he was going to headbutt me.

Faster than he thought I could move, I dodged to the side by stretching my body away from his head. I could feel a slight shockwave when his head hit the ground, just barely missing my left foot. My right foot, which I was lifting off the ground, stomped down on his head.

I forgot about Ganondorf, who hit me with a Wizard's Foot. I shot into the air so fast, it hurt my eyes and brain to watch the ground shooting away.

Everything went white, and I found myself on the recovery platform. I kicked down at Ganondorf, trying to savor my precious seconds of invincibility. After landing a few blows on the armor-clad man, I soon found myself mortal to blows again, and the abuse started again.

Bowser and Ganondorf hammered me several times, not allowing me to be defeated, and hardly giving me a chance to land a blow of any kind. My sight was becoming fuzzy, and my head started to hurt. My brain was starting to fade out on me from having to picture the landscape zipping past my eyes repeatedly.

Landing rather roughly on the ground, I groaned loudly and stared up. I couldn't bring myself to look up, for I was too dizzy and my head hurt too much to even think about standing up. My sight was starting to fade away, as if I was going to slip into an unconsciousness state.

Suddenly, there was a bright light from the sky! As I lay sprawled out on the ground, I saw...FALCO?!

I blinked, and then he was gone. My eyes were wide with shock at the sight of my deceased friend. He was dressed in a cyan jacket, blue pants and a dark blue bandana. He was looking at me with an expression that I could not identify. All I knew was that I saw him, and now he was gone.

"...Falco?" I muttered weakly, reaching up at the sky.

Suddenly, I felt a tight, unfriendly hand latch onto my wrist. I looked up and saw the unpleasant, smirking face of Ganondorf.

"Falco is dead, you idiotic fool!" Ganondorf bellowed, then laughed loudly.

My temper flared, and I felt a surge of new energy. Grabbing his wrist with my other hand, I lifted him above me, then supported his heavy weight with my legs and feet as well. With a tremendous, double-feet kick, I sent him flying towards the border of the arena, where he would lose if traveled too far to the right.

It was enough. The awful man disappeared with a burst of fireworks and a shout. I turned around, my fists clenched tightly, trying to find Bowser. He was on top of the carpet, which was heading towards me.

"Who cares? I'll still beat you, you messed up loser!" Bowser exclaimed.

I didn't reply, and jumped towards him. He wasn't expecting this, so he couldn't block the upward kicks I hit him with. I kicked as hard as I could upwards on the second kick, sending him high into the air. He roared in fury as I landed on the middle platform. Looking up, I noticed that it was most likely he would come back.

Jumping off of the ground as hard as I could, I reached the highest point possible with just my two normal jumps. Powering up my Fox Fire, I shot upwards at Bowser. It was a terrible risk, for any attack from this high would surely be the end of me.

I saw his fist coming towards me, planning to uppercut me into the air. I held my breath as I shot towards him in my fiery jump.

I felt myself slam into his soft underbelly, ramming him into the air. I fell all of the way down to the ground, and when I landed on my feet, I heard the word, "GAME!!" exclaimed by the computer announcer.

I had won! I had defeated those two jerks by myself! It served them right, the way they were talking about Falco!

When I was teleported back, the crowd was cheering loudly. I saw Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu cheering loudly, jumping up and down. Captain Falcon was clapping and giving me his signature salute. Ness, Nana and Popo were all hooting and spinning their fists. The most satisfying sight, however, was Zelda. She was standing up, clapping and cheering. Link was clapping next to her and he was smiling, which is quite rare for him.

"Get him!"

Bowser's angry voice exclaimed over the cheering. Turning towards him, I saw Ganondorf's fist racing towards my head! There was no time to dodge it, for it was an inch away.

When he hit me, I felt an incredible amount of pain and also felt awfully woozy. Falling backwards, the back of my head slammed against the wall. I don't remember anything else after that.


	5. The Final Tournament

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Author's Note - I do not own SSBM, nor anything else mentioned in this story. However, I thought of the plot, so I take credit for that. Let's all hope you like this chapter, and sorry for making you all wait. This is more of a filler chapter, but enjoy anyways.

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**__**

Chapter 05 - The Final Tournament

***Fox McCloud***

When my eyes dragged themselves open, the overhead lights struck them hard. Wincing and stifling a gasp, I shut them quick. I wanted to cover them with my right hand, but neither seemed to have a muscle or something. They were so numb and heavy, I couldn't even lift them an inch.

The rest of my body felt wiped out as well, as if only my mind and eyes were working. I groaned slightly and slowly forced my eyes open. "Wh...where am I?" I managed to stammer.

"Hospital wing, of course!" the accented voice of Doctor Mario came from my right, but I couldn't look at him, for my neck felt like rock.

"Oh," was all I could think of saying in reply.

"You have a few problems, Mr. McCloud!" he continued, speaking in a calm, steady voice. "First of all, you're going to be here for a few days,"

"That sounds fine," I groaned.

"You'll be out of this tournament, because the officials of SSBM don't want to wait anymore. I'm sorry,"

I rolled my eyes, but then added, "It's just as well. The two against one was murder."

"You would've been against Zelda and Link, just to let you know," he added.

Now I was glad that I wouldn't be competing! Fighting Zelda would be harder than Bowser and Ganondorf, because it would be emotion holding me back, not just the odds.

"You said I...I had a few problems," I stammered. "What else is there?"

I heard him sigh, then say, "Fox, you didn't suffer any tumors or permanent damage, but...," he paused, and I knew it couldn't be good.

"What?"

"Bowser, when you were unconscious, tried to stomp on you, but Captain Falcon stopped him. Unfortunately, one of that Koopa's claws dug into your right hand's wrist and...,"

When he paused to take another breath, I looked down at my right hand. Bandages were wrapped around my wrist, yet I could still see blood stains under the several layers. My hand itself had no feeling, as if I didn't even have it.

Doctor Mario was stammering, probably trying to think of how to say the bad news in the softest way possible. "Am I going to be able to ever use it again, Doctor?" I asked slowly.

"...That's what I don't know, Fox. Severe muscle, tissue and bone damage has been administered, and, to be honest, it was a miracle I was able to save it from being detached."

I shuddered when mental pictures of my hand being amputated flashed through my mind. How grisly!

"I'll do everything I can to save your hand, Fox," he assured me. "Is it your good hand?"

"...What do you mean?" My mind was still spinning, and I was having a difficult time paying attention to him. My body wanted more than anything to go to sleep.

"Are you right-handed?"

"Oh. Yes, I am."

"Don't worry, Fox. I'm the best doctor you could possibly get within a wide distance. By the way, are the bandages around your head too tight?"

I never really noticed them until he brought it up. They felt like a belt around my forehead, and were a bit wet; that was probably blood.

"They're fine," I breathed, drifting into sleep.

"Well, I'll let you get some sleep now," was the last thing I heard before I drifted off.

***Doctor Mario***

With a sigh, I walked out of my patient's room. The next room I headed for was the waiting room, where Fox's guests were waiting. It was a small bundle, but a fine group, nevertheless.

Princess Zelda Gaiden of Hyrule was sitting in a chair, swinging her legs listlessly as she waited. Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch were playing multiple rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and whoever won would laugh triumphantly and loudly. Yoshi was reading a magazine that was outdated by a few months, but seemed engrossed. Roy looked half-asleep, resting his head on his hand; that was no surprise, considering it was around ten o'clock.

The five beings looked up when I entered. Pichu, whose ears bobbled when he swung his head, almost screamed, "Will he play the piano again, Doc?!"

"He's resting now, and doing okay. He'll be out in a few days," I replied, and the five seemed relieved.

"How's his hand?" asked Roy. "It was bleeding quite a bit when he was taken,"

"That hangs in the air, really," I admitted. "Although I'm sure he will be able to fully use it again sooner or later,"

"Are you sure?" asked Zelda.

"Pretty sure."

"Mario sends his regards!" Yoshi chirped. "He and Luigi and Peach all do, but they too busy telling the board of SSBM about Bowser's actions!"

"Link and Young Link say hi, too," added Zelda, smiling slightly. "He went with Mario to tell about Ganondorf, and Young Link is with him."

Roy looked at both, then stood up. "He's sleeping now, right?" he asked.

"Yes. There is no need for you to see him,"

Pichu moaned, like if that was what he wanted. "But I wanna see him!" he whined.

It took a bit of time, but I was able to get them all out. Actually, Zelda, Roy and Yoshi were no problem, but the two clowns didn't want to budge.

"I'm not going!" shouted Mr. Game & Watch. "I was born in a hospital, and I'm going to die in a hospital!"

"Is there anything I can say to make you go?" I had asked him as politely as possible.

"Sure, let's go, Pichu!" said the two-dimensional man, and he and the baby Pokémon left as simply as that.

I talked with the nurses after they had left, and checked Fox's x-rays. I had lied to Fox and his friends, something I did not want to do. To be truthful, I didn't know if Fox's hand was going to make it or not; he may have a ruined wrist for the rest of his life.

With a heavy sigh, I went to dinner and studied copies of the x-rays, wondering what to do. Lylatian structures are new to me, and even though I'm a very good doctor, I didn't know what to do precisely. Then again, a humanoid wrist was a humanoid wrist and nothing else, right?

***Yoshi***

"Yoshi think Fox was lucky!" I chirped optimistically to my companions. "He could be worse off!"

"True!" agreed little Pichu. "If Captain Falcon hadn't ran over and stopped Bowser, Fox could be in the hospital in five or six pieces."

"What you think board will do to Bowser and Ganondorf?" I asked them.

"Beat them with an ugly stick," replied Mr. Game & Watch.

"Ban them from the next tournament," Roy suggested, looking as if he wanted that.

"Bitch-slap them with a steel glove loaded with bricks," Pichu giggled.

"Personally?" Zelda spoke up. "Well, I don't like or trust Ganondorf, and until he's gone, I'll never be fully comfortable!"

"That's unlike you, Zelda!" said Roy, who raised eyebrow. "I've never heard you speak so strongly like that before!"

"You don't know many things about me, dear Roy," she replied simply.

"They good things, right?" I asked hopefully.

She smiled at me. "Some of them, yes!"

I smiled back, but then my mind wandered to subject I thought about lots. I heard me blurting out, "You like Peach, Zelda?"

This surprised her, which I saw in her facial expression. She looked at me like I gone crazy. "What?" she said. "Why do you ask?"

"It big rumor on the Internet you no like her," I admitted, looking down, sorry I brought it up. "Mr. Game & Watch found it one day,"

She then looked at Game & Watch. "Is this true?"

"Yep," he replied, nodding his head and making beeping sounds. "They think because you both wear pink dresses, have blond hair and blue eyes, and are beautiful that you two hate each other!"

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "That's so stupid," she muttered. "Why would I hate her because of that?"

"Normal human instinct," said Pichu. "When you homo-sapiens see a pretty lady, you automatically think she's stupid or selfish. That's why I'm glad I'm not human!"

Roy looked tad annoyed by Pichu's comment, but me can't blame him. "That's not true for all of us!" he grumbled.

Zelda shook her head, maybe thinking about what me and Game & Watch said. "Well, first off, I'm not human. I'm what humans and Pokémon could call elvin, and I have the ears to prove it."

"Me always thought they look nice!" I chirped. "They must be good for hearing!"

She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, they are. Second, I don't have blue eyes. Mine are violet."

"Oh yeah," Mr. Game & Watch said. "Forgot that."

"Well, you shouldn't forget a girl's eye color, Game & Watch!" she said, and me think she was teasing him. "They could get really mad at you for that!"

"Not in my world," he said. "We don't have eyes, and if we do, they're slits and that's it."

"Interesting," Zelda replied. "And most importantly," she look at me when she saying this. "I hold nothing against Peach. She's darling and sweet, if a bit slow at times. We get along just fine."

"Oh, good!" I chirped. "That make Yoshi happy! We all get along!"

"Apart from Bowser and Ganondorf, of course," Roy muttered.

"Forget those two dimwits," Pichu exclaimed. "Here I am, talking with my best friend, a green dinosaur, a beautiful elf with violet eyes, and the redhead with a fiery sword! Why would I want to think about the two things that make the only negative side of SSBM?!"

"Maybe if you win more, you be more happy?" I suggested, which made them all laugh.

"Hey, we beat you, remember?" Pichu replied.

"Yoshi remember, no need to bring up that," I said, looking down at ground when I walk.

We were at SSBM stadium then. Me see Mario outside the stadium, leaning against door. I cry out happily, and run over to him right then. I approach him, and notice he look angry. "Mario!" I shout. "What wrong?"

Mario looked over at me, his face red with anger. "The board, Yoshi. The stupid board!"

"What is it, dude?" Mr. Game & Watch exclaimed, him and others running up to us. "Aren't they punishing Bowser and Ganondorf?"

"Oh sure, they're punishing!" Mario remark sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "They're suspending them from the current tournament!"

"But Fox beat them!" Roy exclaimed, him looking angry. "They were already out!"

"They claimed they didn't know that, and told us that the punishment' was final!" my friend groaned. "But I can see why they're doing this. They don't want to punish Bowser and Ganondorf, because that will them look bad, punishing two Smashers!"

"Even after what they did to Fox?!" Zelda exclaimed, who looked very angry, just like Roy.

"Yep," Mario rolled his eyes again. "By the way, is Fox okay?"

"He fine," me replied. "His hand get better, doctor say."

"Ah, good," Mario said.

Pichu was growling, looking very mad. "I...can't believe it!" he shouted. "They're getting away with this! You realize, Game & Watch, what this means?!"

"Of course!" Game & Watch replied, rubbing his hands together and making beeping sounds. "This means WAR!!"

* * *

***Pichu***

"Hey, you ever stop to think what would happen if cell phones replaced normal phones?" I asked my friend.

We were all at the regular restaurant that all of the Smashers ate at. It was only day after my friends and I had visited Fox in the hospital, and he was already out! Doctor Mario was astounded, and had concluded that Lylatians heal fast. Yet Fox wasn't in tip-top condition, walking around slowly, constantly clutching his forehead, which was still wrapped in bandages.

"No, not really," replied Mr. Game & Watch, who was eating French fries at the moment.

"Me neither," I admitted.

Fox walked by just then, carrying his tray with one hand. He waved with the other, and we waved back. He sat down at a table, but didn't start eating right away.

"Vulpine kid looks better!" I commented, nodding my head towards him.

"Yeah, he does,"

"It hasn't been a good year for him, has it?"

"His friend is now dead, he is out of the tournament, he was in the hospital for a day, and the two guys who put him there aren't being punished because it is the political correct thing to do!"

"I hate political correctness!"

"I should say. Isn't Jar-Jar Binks one of your favorite Star Wars guys?" he asked, and I swear, if he could raise an eyebrow, he would have.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone, okay? Everyone will look at me funny and stare,"

"They already do."

"Well, that's beside the point. The point is a needle's tip. But the major issue is that if you like something others hate, no matter what it is, they don't like you."

"I don't think any of the Smashers, apart from Beavis and Butthead," he commented as he jerked his thumb at Bowser and Ganondorf, "are like that."

"We're special. What I meant was humans. They just love to hate others. Hate, hate, hate."

"This is a side of you I don't see often."

"Jar-Jar Binks fans are rarely serious, mesa dink."

Mr. Game & Watch laughed, then looked over at another of the tables. I looked over as well, only to see Zelda, Link, Marth and Roy at one table. "What is it?"

"Zelda," he muttered, chomping on his hamburger. "I think Fox has a crush on her,"

"On _Zelda_?" I whispered, trying to not be heard. "But they're not even the same species!"

"He's a Lylatian, dude. Their species is all kinds of creatures that look different. Falco's girlfriend was part cat."

"Oh, so it's like black and white humans falling in love, huh?"

"Mesa dink so."

"So, how do you know this, oh matchmaker Game & Watch?"

"He's always glancing at her, and he looks around to see if no one's looking. When he was out of the hospital, he smiled more when she said hi than when anyone else did. And when she talks to him, he gets real nervous and all."

"Maybe he fears Link coming after him with a vengeance?"

"Nah, I don't think so."

"You could be wrong. Maybe he just finds her very, very attractive."

"Sure, my judgment could be wrong and mine could be right. Then again, you like Jar-Jar Binks."

"AH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!" I exclaimed, snapping. "So fricking what?! Why does everyone who learns that I like Jar-Jar Binks think I'm a flipping mental case?"

The others were staring, but I didn't care anymore. I was glaring at Mr. Game & Watch, who was drinking his soda. "Dude, I already thought you were as big a mental case as I am when I met you."

Making a raspberry with my lips, I rolled my eyes and jumped down from my seat to the floor. "I'm going to the stadium, where I'll wait for you all. Don't take your time now!"

I stormed out the restaurant fuming. No one has any idea how sick I am of being mocked about my opinions! Like one fictional character, and everyone turns against you, even your best friends! Jar-Jar is fictional, for crying out loud!

Muttering angrily to myself, including some words that I'm ashamed of using normally, I headed for the stadium. I was growing more and more pissed as I grouched over the issue, and it was good thing I was alone. I would had exploded at the first being to say anything to me.

***Fox McCloud***

My head thumped with pain as Pichu's powerful voice rang across the restaurant. I groaned and clutched my head, as if that could dampen the pain. Of course it didn't, but there wasn't anything I could do otherwise.

Pichu's outburst was the last thing I expected to hear when I left the hospital. The little, cheerful guy hadn't been angry ever since the day I met him, and it was also more shocking that the person he exploded at was his friend! It was like I left the hospital to a world I was not familiar with.

Bowser and Ganondorf were going unpunished, which I had overheard yesterday from Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch's ranting and raving. Also, the final fight was today. It was to be a two verses two verses two. The battlers were Link and Zelda, Ness and Nana, and Captain Falcon and Samus Aran. A six-man battle was going to be interesting to watch, but I didn't know if my head could take it; the stadium was equipped with an extremely loud sound system that was like the one's in theater.

My meal, even though small, seemed too much for me to eat. I just didn't feel hungry, and I hadn't ever since I left the hospital. My wrist and forehead were still wrapped in tight bandages, and my right hand was still pretty much numb. I was going to have to practice using my left hand.

"You gonna eat that?"

I turned to see Yoshi eying me with sad eyes, looking from my food to me then back to my food. Smiling, I said, "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you!" With that, Yoshi's long tongue whipped out and slurped down my meal in one gulp! He licked his lips and sighed contentively, then added, "Thanks again, Fox!"

"No problem, Yoshi."

"Who you betting on?"

"Pardon?"

"In today's fight. Who you betting on?"

"Oh...probably Link and Zelda."

"Ah, Yoshi see. Yet me think Falcon and Samus are gonna win, for they really strong. Me would've bet on you if you were in, because you beat Bowser and Ganondorf alone! Very impressive!"

"Thanks," I said, flattered and slightly moved.

"It true! ...Yoshi go to stadium now. Want ride?"

"No thanks, I can manage."

"Me no mind. Me gave Mario and Peach and Luigi many rides in the past."

"Thanks, but no. I'm really okay, it's just my head and wrist."

"Okay, den. You just tell me when you want ride, and Yoshi give you one. See you at stadium!"

The green dinosaur then left, humming a tune to himself. I stayed at the restaurant for a few minutes, then left myself. When I got there, the only people there were Pichu, Yoshi and Luigi. The plumber and the dinosaur were talking, while the baby Pokémon sat in his seat fuming. It would probably be best to steer clear of him, so I sat down alone.

The other Smashers all came into the stadium eventually, Mr. Game & Watch being last. He walked over to Pichu and sat down next to him wordlessly. Yet when the two-dimensional man spoke, I could easily hear him, thanks to my great fox ears.

"Hey, dude. I'm sorry about teasing you," he apologized.

"Hmmph," grumbled Pichu.

"Isn't there anything I can say so that you forgive me?" Game & Watch asked, sounding kind of sad.

"Sure, I forgive you!" the baby Pokémon then hugged his friend.

The time of the fight came in a couple of minutes. Mario walked over to the keyboard, then looked over at me! "Hey, Fox!" he called. "Why don't you control it for this round?"

I shrugged, pulled myself up, and walked over to the electronic board. Mario quickly explained the controls to me, then left to sit in the stands. I nervously glanced at the board, then at the crowd.

"Well...," I started, trying to think of what to say. "I guess it's time for the main event of fierce, frenzied fighting for fans' fancies!"

This got a few laughs, and cheers from the now happy Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch. I then continued with, "Let the battlers come on down! Link and Zelda Gaiden! Ness and Nana! Captain Falcon and Samus Aran!"

The others cheered as the six walked down, some cheering on their favorites. I could hear Popo shouting his sister and friend on.

When I transported all of them, I asked the crowd, "Now, where shall the six battle?"

"FLAT ZONE!!" Mr. Game & Watch shouted.

"Icicle Mountain!" Popo exclaimed.

"Pokémon Floats!" Pikachu suggested.

"Final Destination," said Mewtwo, almost too quietly to be heard.

"Flat Zone!!" Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch screamed in unison.

"Oh, why not?" I muttered, then looked over the board's display of the map, which was touch-activate. Pressing Flat Zone, I could hear Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu exclaim in joy and triumph.

I watched the fight from the board, silently cheering on Zelda. The final match was set for five stock for every combatant, so the fight, even in Flat Zone, would be longer than normal.

Everything was going normally, all six of them only losing one stock each after a short period of time. Then the sky began to rain two dimensional tools. Every time one of the Smashers was hit by a falling object, Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch would cheer or laugh loudly.

They also made some pretty bad puns.

When a pail hit Falcon, Pichu shouted, "That's what I call a pail' stone!"

Game & Watch exclaimed when a wrench hit Nana, "Gut-_wrenching_, huh?"

A hammer hit Zelda, and Pichu cried, "Boy, did she get nailed!"

This continued all throughout the falling of tools, and stopped at the same time. The other result of the downfall of two dimensional objects was that the stock was off-balance. Link and Ness had three, Captain Falcon had four, and Zelda, Samus and Nana had two.

The fight tilted in Falcon and Samus's favor when Samus knocked Ness out with a missile and destroyed one of his remaining stock. Zelda was able to kick Falcon out and wipe out his fourth stock, but the two bounty hunters looked like the favored team from here. They had more stock than the other two teams.

The six battled, and then something really turned the tide of battle. Falcon released a Pokémon from a Pokéball, and out popped out the legendary Lugia. When it blasted its Aerosmith attack from the background, all of Falcon and Samus's opponents were knocked to the horizon. Now the two were really in the lead, and it would take a miracle for either of the two teams to win.

Nana was the first to go when Link threw a Bob-omb at her and wiped out her last stock. Then Ness was nailed by a Falcon Punch and finished. Zelda was defeated right after, when Samus slammed her with a cannon punch. The Link slashed at the female bounty hunter and knocked her into the horizon, defeating her for good.

Now it was Captain Falcon with two stock against Link with one. Link fought like a desperate man, but Falcon wasn't cutting him any slack. With a few well-timed moves, the Hyrulian hero was knocked to the side and was eliminated.

The tournament was over, and the winners were Captain Falcon and Samus Aran!


	6. Krystal

Author's Note - Just to enlighten you people, Star Fox Adventures never took place in this story. I must thank everyone who sent their replies, and to Dark Geppetto, let's get one thing straight: this is fanfiction, which means I get to change the rules around, no matter what they are in the game. Fox and Zelda has no proof, true, but neither does Marth and Zelda, or Link and Peach, or many of the other pairs out there! And even if Slippy is Fox's best friend, I changed it to Falco for this story.

Disclaimer - I do no own any of Nintendo's characters, MST3K, or anything else in this story. *sobs*

Chapter 06 - Krystal

***Fox McCloud***

I can't say how much my head hurt. It was throbbing at one moment, then it was numb the next. My wrist was still disfunctional, unable to lift the smallest objects. I really hate complaining, but I was feeling pretty down.

With the first tournament over, we were going to take place in a Free-For-All Tournament, three people at once. The Ice Climbers were allied up, as the competition was now one less.

The agency was looking for replacements, people they thought would qualify. Yet the people who asked all of us if we knew anyone who could join were terribly rude; Pichu had come very close to zapping one.

The agent was asking Marth and Roy if they knew anyone at lunch. Both shook their heads in unison, and the agent said good-bye in Japanese. Pichu called the guy when he walked right by him.

"Hey, what about me?" he had shouted. "I have lots of eligible friends who can enter. My friend is dying to get in this tournament! He's a fire Pokémon, and he-"

"Excuse me, little Pichu," the agent had inturpted him, scowling and looking down at Pichu as if he was something foul. "I am aware that you Pokémon already have four members in the tournament. If we want more of your kind, we'll ask you!"

As he tried to turn away, Pichu retorted, "You asked Mario eariler, and he has more than four competitors!"

"Shove it," the agent replied bluntly. Pichu growled and his cheeks had sparkled with electricity. Mr. Game & Watch had to hold him back, before the baby Pokémon lunged at the discriminative man.

Discrimination against Pichu was rising. Mr. Game & Watch had informed us that the number of people that did not want the electric baby Pokémon in the tournament was already unreasonably high. Then the news leaked out that he liked Jar-Jar Binks, and from what I've heard, more people dislike him over Bowser and Ganondorf.

He walked by me just then outside, muttering under his breath, "Stupid, communist jerks! I'll show them. I'll shock them so hard, they can plug themselves into the wall! I hate them-"

"Don't let the turkeys get you down!" I said, and he looked up at me.

"What?"

"Don't let those morons make you upset! You're better than a bunch of hate-mongering jerks! You shouldn't let it bother you!"

"Well, it does!" he grumbled, looking down at the floor. He fumbled with his blue goggles, his favorite thing to wear along with a blue bandana. "I just can't understand why there are so many jerks out there. How come they like to hate things so much?"

"Some people just do. You can't tell what goes on in the mind of another person, especially those that are unreasonable to us. Heck, I didn't even know what was going through Falco's mind when I was with him."

The thought of Falco upset me a little, so quickly changed the topic. "Besides, you've got Mr. Game & Watch! He'll always tell you how great you are!"

"True!" Pichu nodded, his large ears poking up. "You're right! Why let those bastards get to me?" I raised an eyebrow at that; his vulgar language always surprised me. "Anyways, I'm going to go watch TV with Watch. Wanna come with me?"

He looked up at me with pleading, brown eyes. "But the next tournament's on!" I pointed out, jestering to the stadium. "Zelda and Doctor Mario and Kirby are battling, and then-"

"Come on! You're not battling today! And besides, this is the only time _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ is on!"

I had never heard of that show. "What's that?"

Pichu's already wide eyes just got wider. "You don't _know_ MST3K?! C'mon, Fox, be serious!" When I looked at him with a blank stare, he recieved the answer clearly. "I can't believe it! I used to think you had good taste, but you obviously do not! _No one_ can not know MST3K and have good taste! If you don't let me educate you, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

"Okay, okay!" I held my hands up in defense, making my wrist throb a little. "I'll go."

As we walked to Game & Watch's room, with Pichu humming happily, I was having second thoughts. I was curious as to what Pichu was talking about, but I also wanted to watch Zelda battle. The fights would be five stock, two a day, and that meant I'd have to wait until the first round was over until I saw Zelda again; if she won, of course, which I bet she would.

"Can we turn the channel to the fight during commercials?" I asked Pichu, who broke out of his song to listen to me. "I really would like to watch the frst match, at least!"

"You mean the one with the doc, the female elf and the marshmellow?" Pichu joked. "Okay, but I'd prefer the eskimo kids, the psychic Pokémon, and the pyromaniac turtle after them! But I suppose we'll be merciful and let you see the fight!"

As we walked to Mr. Game & Watch's room, I noticed the guards marching around. They saluted us as we walked by, and back to marching right away. They had been assigned here ever since Falco's death, and the investigation of my late friend's death was also still continuing, although it was obvious that they weren't anywhere close to solving the mystery.

We entered Game & Watch's room, where the 2-D man was sitting down on his own two dimensional chair. We greeted us with much esthusiasum, saying that I was one of the first to learn true comedy,' or something like that.

***Yoshi***

Fights get boring after watching them so much.

Me was calmly watching the fight, cheering on Doctor Mario. He pummeling Sheik right now, and was doing good and all that, but me was not interested. Me wanted to do something else, like run in fields or enjoy good food. Sitting around watching fights was boring to me.

Pretty soon, me no take it anymore. Me get up, and walk out of stadium. Just want to stretch legs, me said to others. That only half true, actually.

Walking outside, me stretch and hear joints pop. Me sit down much and do not do much these days. Me slacking off too much, and not getting as much exercise as a Yoshi should get. Was joining tournament bad idea? Me missed my Yoshi friends. Me miss my home.

Maybe going to gym would help energize me! They have nice gym here, lots of those cool-looking work-out machines. Me see Donkey Kong, Falcon and other people use them.

Walking to gym, Yoshi wave at nice guards. They salute, and keep marching. Nice guys, those guards. They come from all over. Earth, Lylat system, wherever Samus from, wherever Falcon from. Wish they would actually speak once, they never say anything.

At gym, I marveled the equipment. Walking to what me believe others call a treadmill', me step onto the machine. Nothing happen. I look down, wondering what I was supposed to be doing. Me tap the belt, but nothing happened.

Confused, me take the handle bars and hold onto them tightly. Straining, me try to push the belt down with my feet, and it move slowly. This is hard work! Me continue to push the belt with feet, panting and gasping for air.

"Wooo!" me pant. "This is...tough!" After several minutes, me give up and catch my breath. Letting go of handlebars, me pant heavily. No wonder me so sluggish, and others so trim! Me so out of shape, this simple device is too challenging for me!

Then me noticed the screen in front of Yoshi, looking like computer keyboard. This funny, methinks. Me push On' button, and suddenly, ground under me starts moving backward! Me quickly start walking fast to prevent falling off, and grab onto handlebars again! What going on?

Then me catch the idea. This machine used for walking exercize! How kinky! Walking at a steady pace, me felt like me was finally getting back into shape! Still, the belt was moving too slow to be truely exercizing, so me push Faster' button.

The belt sped up but not enough. Me push button again; still not fast enough. Deciding to get things over with, me push Faster' button rapidly with finger.

Yike! Floor moving fast! Really fast! I break into run, and my top speed is barely enough! Panting hard, me realize that me should not have done that! With a cry, Yoshi is thrown backwards by fast-paced belt! Landing to the ground, me collapse on my saddle. "Ow," me moan, more from surprise than pain.

"Are you okay, dear?"

A soothing voice comes from above! Did Yoshi die and go to heaven? Blinking, me then see beautiful lady with long, golden hair! An angel! The machine had killed me, and Yoshi was in heaven!"

"You hit your head awfully hard," the angel continued, sounding far away.

"Where Pearly Gates?" me ask. The angel laughs out loud, and me become confused.

"You little cutie!" angel reach on and pat my hat head, which me likes. "Maybe you should not use the treadmill at such a high speed!"

Wait...that voice...sound so familiar... "Zelda?" me ask. The angel nod, and suddenly, Yoshi no longer in Heaven. Me still on Earth in tournament.

"Oh," was all me could think of saying, and Zelda laugh again. Yoshi no know why, because me not trying to be funny.

"What you doing here?" me ask. "Did Zelda win fight?"

"Yes, but just barely. Here, let me help you up!" she reach out with gloved hand, and Yoshi take it. Getting up, me see room spinning slightly. Maybe Yoshi did hit head too hard.

"Congradulations," me say as I get adjusted to the spinning.

"Thanks, honey. Yet I do not think my battle skills are that good anymore. I really only won because poor Doctor Mario threw an canister right at Kirby, and it turned out to be an exploding one."

"Ouch."

"Yes, it was. I also noticed that my alter-ego transformation is not doing so well."

"Your what?" I asked, lost by those complicated words.

"Sheik, honey," she reply patiently; she looked sad, like if she was dissapointed in herself. "Anyway, I think I need a new transformation. Being Sheik puts me behind my opponents too much; I'm not as flexible or in as good of shape as I was before the tournament."

"Yoshi too," me say. "Me am getting too soft. That why me nearly kill myself on moving floor machine."

She smiled pleasently, her mood more cheerful. "I guess we both need to exercize more, huh honey?"

"Yep!"

"I should create a new transformation in the meantime. I would like it to be like Sheik, flexible and fast, but I do not know where to start."

"Why not model it after other fighters here?" me suggest. "Many good people here are flexible and fast, like Falcon and Pikachu."

"Thanks, honey. But I'm looking for something that does not rely on elemental powers; as my normal self, I use enough magic."

"Ah, me see. Well, there is one person who is like that."

"Who?"

My tail wags a little; I love being able to help those in need. "Fox."

***Fox McCloud***

I have never laughed harder in my entire life.

_Mystery Science Theater 3000_ was, as Game & Watch and Pichu said, a show where they take old, bad movies, and mock them mercilessly. What they had failed to tell me was how incredibly good the hosts were at it.

The movie at hand was called _Horrors of Spider Island_, and it was truely bad; I have never seen a more chavnuist film in all my life. To sum the movie up shortly, eight ladies (seven are dancers) and one man's plane crash, and they are stranded on the island. Then the man becomes the boss, ordering the girls around like children, and they are too helpless to do anything themselves. The movie's name is misleading; the island they are stranded on only has one spider in total.

Yet the hosts of the show, one man and two robots, made it more than bearable enough to watch. In fact, they made it downright hilarious.

"This is great!" roared Mr. Game & Watch with laughter during the commercial break; we were all enjoying the show so much, we forgot to switch back to the fight during the commercials. "I cannot believe how badly dubbed this movie is!"

"THE HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND!" Pichu shouted out mockingly; the commentators had shouted the title out three times during the movie, each time in a different situation. The first time was for when a woman was dancing during an audition, and a second time when a man was kissing a scandily-clad dancer.

"Thank you, guys, for showing me this show!" I said, chuckling as I remembered some of the great jokes.

"What a shame that this is the last segment of the movie! Man, I would so give all my life savings to be on that island!" commented Pichu.

"Me too. Who would not want to be on an island with only one pathetic spider, and eight, easy women?"

I frowned at the comment. "You mean you would take advantage of the ladies on the island?"

Game & Watch looked taken aback. "Who said anything about taking advantage?" he asked. "I mean, if they are willing to smooch me, then I have no complaints; I'm single!"

"Well, yeah...but," I stammered, not really knowing what to say; what could I say? As long as I had Zelda in my heart, then I would not be willing to start any kind of relation with any other women.

"What is wrong, Fox?" Pichu asked, looking at me strangely while tilting his head. "I don't think you have a girlfriend, dude."

"No, but-" I caught myself before I admitted what I wanted to keep a secret.

"Do you have a crush on someone?" Game & Watch guessed, right on the button.

"Maybe," was the only answer I gave them, but it seemed that I was a terrible liar; Pichu's eyes widened, and he and Game & Watch exchanged looks.

"Who?" asked Pichu.

"Sorry, but I'm not saying anything!" I grinned wickedly at them, imitating their own crafty behavior.

"Awww, come on!" begged Game & Watch. The show came back on then, so we placed our attention back in it. Once again, we started laughing loudly.

When it was over, Game & Watch kept us around for the ending credits for the "Stinger"; it was after the credits, and it was a very short clip of one of the most pathetic moments of the movie. The Stinger for this movie was, unsurprisingly, the terrible plane crash for the movie. I watched as the plane, burning fervently, plummeted down at high speeds, and then hammered into the sea. As an Arwing piolet, I know there is no way to survive such a crash, much less escape unharmed like the characters did.

"So," Game & Watch started as he turned off the TV. "who do you dig, Fox?"

"What?"

"Who is your crush on, man? You can trust us!"

I rolled my eyes while smiling, knowing they were going to say that. "Guys, if you had a crush, would you tell me?"

"I think Jigglypuff is cute!" Pichu blurted out.

"And I think that Samus is really hot," said Game & Watch, then added, "Without her armor on, of course."

I was impressed; these two had no shame in admitting whom they liked. My willpower to keep my crush a secret was fading fast, as I felt I could trust the two.

"Okay, I'll say who, but you had better not tell anyone!" I warned them, shaking a finger at them.

"We won't!" they chanted. "Just tell us."

I took a deep breath, and muttered, "Zelda."

They were both silent for a minute, then both laughed. "What is so funny?" I snapped.

"Fox, who _doesn't_ like Zelda?" Pichu chuckled.

"Everyone loves the elvin princess!" Game & Watch pointed out. "How can you not? She's gorgeous, kind, has pointy ears-"

"What?" Pichu laughed out loud. "So do I, but you don't find me attractive!"

"Your pink cheeks are a real turn-off. But still, Fox, we can keep it a secret that you like Zelda!"

"I do not _just_ like her!" I exclaimed, louder than I meant to. "I...I really do like her. She's...perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, dude," Pichu replied, "but Zelda does come close, as do I."

"Hey, Fox, are you saying that you're in love with Zelda?" Game & Watch pressed the questioning.

"If I am, then it is none of your buisness," I replied coolly.

"True, but hey, just don't let the fact that she's dating Link get you down," he continued.

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't think he's her type. I mean, he's so damn quiet, and he really likes dueling more than any of us. She's passive when out of battle."

What was really surprising to me was that the two had not mentioned the fact that I was not Zelda's species. Were they avoiding it to make me feel better, or had they just not thought of that?

"Well," I decided to say just that, "Link is her species, and I'm not."

"Oh, yeah," muttered Pichu, looking downcast.

"So?" asked Game & Watch at the same time. "I thought Lylatians did not care about what part-species their mate was?"

"How did you know that?" I asked, very surprised.

"The Flat Zone stretches all across the universe. I went to the Lylat system for a field trip when I was in school; thank God I'm out now, I hated it. School, I mean, not Lylat."

"Ah, so you mean, if Fox married Zelda, none of the Lylatians would talk?" Pichu asked curiously.

"They would," Game & Watch said before I could say anything. "They would say, What a lucky bastard'."

"Guys, she's not interested in me!" I blurted out. "Besides," I sunk into the couch. "what could a guy like me offer a princess like her?"

"Oh, not that old expression!" Game & Watch groaned. "Don't go making this a soap oprea, Fox!"

"Yeah, man! Just go out there, and see what she can see in you! ...When she's no longer seeing Link, of course!"

For some peculiar reason, I was feeling better and more confident. They were right about everything! The two clowns of Melee were helping me with my problems!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Game & Watch called out, "Come on in, nobody's home!"

Then entered the very person we were discussing: Princess Zelda Gaiden. She looked as glamerous as usual, and the fact that I had been talking about her ten seconds ago made it harder to talk.

"Hi, Fox," she said pleasently. "I've been looking for you for some time now; you weren't at the fight, or at your room, so I was wondering wher you might be."

"Ah, well," I stammered, my blood temperature rising. "That...sorry about tha...that. Just watch TV with my friends here."

I was expecting the two to ask Zelda if she had heard of MST3K; they kept telling me how they were going to spread it around Melee. Instead, they said nothing. Looking at them for a brief second, they were not even looking at Zelda or myself! They were smirking to themselves, an feeling of triumph emitting from them.

"Well, if you have some free time later, I could really use your help with my combat skills. What time would be good for you to come to the gym with me?"

"Now."

The reply was not from me, but from Pichu. Winking at me, he added to Zelda, "We are done reeducating him. You may take him away from us."

"Oh, but I don't wish to take him away from you!" Zelda protested.

"We insist," added Game & Watch, trying hard to cover his snickers.

Zelda still looked unsure, then turned to me. "Is it okay with you?"

"Uhhhh...yeah," I stammered, trying hard not to look anxious. "Since Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch insist, I guess I could come with you."

At that moment, Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch burst into loud fits of laughter. Zelda was very surprised, as was I. The two waved good-bye, laughing hard and wiping tears from their eyes.

"What on earth got into those two?" Zelda asked me as we left Game & Watch's room, their laughter fading away fast. "They were acting like you being with me was hilarious."

"Oh, you know those two clowns!" I chuckled nervously; if she only knew that we had just been talking about her. Then she would have known that they had been encouraging me to go after her.

***

"You're planning to replace Sheik as your morph?"

Zelda and I were on the padded area of the gym, which was used for tumbling and wrestling; the padding was a great shock-absorber, which was made from my system. It came from there because Earth's padding is too rough by some standards.

"Yes. I keep recieving rather than giving damage. I think I need a new morph, and Yoshi said you are best to model after."

"Ah, well, that was nice of him," I stammered, desperately trying not to stare. Zelda had changed from her dress into cyan track pants, a green sports bra, and a pink and gold sweatband. The temptation to admire her was incredibly difficult; it made me worry how much harder it would be after she started sweating from working out.

"Fox, honey? Are you okay? You seem so nervous," she asked, looking at me questionally.

"Uh..., no, it's nothing!" I quickly answered. "So, where would like to start?"

"Well, I'm terribly slow when attacking physically. Do you think you can teach me to attack faster?"

So we went to training her to attack faster. And after a half-hour, I learned the one bad thing I can think of about Zelda: she is a bit of a slow learner. It took several attempts before she could master something as simple as a quick uppercut.

By the time we had worked out for an hour, she was sweating profusely, and panting hard. She was, as I suspected, impossible to resist looking at. Her skin glistened from the sweat, glittering like mineral water.

"This," Zelda panted, "is harder than I thought."

"Well, I hope it's helping," I said.

"I do believe it is!" she smiled at me, and I smiled back weakly; it is hard to concentrate when your brain is spinning. Also, I cannot deny that my hormones were working like crazy, and I was resisting the urge to attack her.

"Well, I need to learn how to dodge better too," she was saying. "I keep getting hit when I am trying to dodge them."

"Well, what would you like to know?" I asked her, almost through clentched teeth.

"I don't know. Maybe how to cartwheel, because that seems like a good starter."

I nodded, then told preformed a cartwheel for her to take note of. When she tried, she crashed to the floor. Sighing as she got to her feet, she muttered, "I'm just not good enough."

"Not many learn on their first try, Zelda," I comforted her.

She kept trying, and kept falling to the mat. Only once did she come close, but she landed the wrong way and fall down awkwardly on her seat. She was now showing a few light bruises, and I decided to assist before she hurt herself.

"Here, Zelda, let me try to help you," I volenteered as she stood up. I needed to put my hands on waist for direction, but I was getting nervous just thinking about it. "Errr, would it be okay if helped guide you?"

"Why do you even ask?" She was facing her back to me, but looked around to talk to me.

"Well, I have to put my hands on your waist for guidance, and if you're uncomfortable with that-"

"Honey, as long as you don't get fresh, I'm okay with it," she answered politely, smiling at me.

Swallowing hard, I approached her and, quite slowly, put my hands on her waist. My heart and brain were racing, and I do not think I had been more excited than any other point in my life; not even when I first got to drive an Arwing for the first time.

"Okay now," I started, swallowing what felt like a lump in my throat. "I need you to relax, let all of your energy flow through you. Don't just concentrate on your legs or arms."

She nodded slowly, and I felt her body become less tense. "Now, tip yourself to the side, and do not fear falling over; I'll catch you."

Slowly, she leaned to the side, her hands flinging out when she came close to the floor. "No, don't be so ready to catch yourself! You must trust your senses."

"_I'm quoting Peppy now,_" I thought to myself. "_Guess that darned expression isn't just for inspiration._"

"Okay, just don't drop me, please!" she pleaded.

"Don't worry, I won't! Now balance yourself on your hands for a few seconds; I'll be holding you so you won't fall."

After she did just that for a few seconds, I helped her get back to her feet. "Okay, now try it yourself."

Zelda looked nervous, staring at the mat as if it would attack her. "Are you sure?"

"Just trust your senses, and don't tense up. Go on and try it."

Swallowing hard, Zelda forced herself to relax. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over...

...and preformed a perfect cartwheel.

"You did it!" I cheered. I felt pride swell up in me; I was a good teacher!

"I can't believe it! I did it!" Zelda exclaimed, then did a few more for good measure. "Oh, thank you, Fox!"

Then she ran over and hugged me. I felt like I was going to die happy, as she held me in her arms. This was truely the best moment of my life...

...then Link walked in, and I suddenly felt like my life was going to end right then.

"Zelda, are you here-" he started as he came in, then saw Zelda parting from hugging me.

"Oh, Link!" Zelda flushed, but whether it was shame or embarresment, I didn't know. "Uh..., Fox was just teaching me how to cartwheel. And well, I know how to do it perfectly."

Link did not reply at first, scowling as he looked between Zelda and myself. "That's pretty good," he said without smiling. "Even I don't know how to cartwheel."

"Yeah, well, I was...that is...," Zelda stammered.

"Zelda, it's okay!" Link interrupted her. "What, you think I suspect you of cheating on me just because you hug another guy?"

"No, no!" she quickly replied. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that of you! ...Uh, I'd better get changed!"

She quickly dashed off to the locker room to change, which I wish she didn't; now I was alone with Link. I watched her depart, then nervously looked over at Link, trying not to show any sign of fear. He was scowling, but whether he was meaning to be intimidating or not was beyond me.

"Nothing happened," I let the words fall out of my mouth.

"I figured as much," replied Link simply. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to try and steal someone's girlfriend."

"Yeah, I'm not," I was saying whatever come to mind first. I hated feeling like this: so afraid of saying the wrong thing, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Well then," said Link, easing up a bit and smiling slightly. "There's nothing for me to worry about, huh?"

He then lowered his voice, scowling again, "But don't make any moves on her, okay, Fox?"

"I won't," I replied, frowning a bit as well. "What kind of a cad to you take me for?"

"I don't think ill of you. Just don't get too close to her, okay?"

As Link finished saying his little "threat," Zelda came back, dressed in her casual outfit. "Everything all right?" she asked us, notcing our scowls.

I quickly lost my angry look, and replied, "Everything's fine." It sounded pretty forced, as did Link's nod.

"Well, okay then! Thanks again, Fox!" she smiled at me before leaving with Link.

***

"What?! He was threatening you?!"

Mr. Game & Watch shouted as he, Pichu, and myself headed for the auditorium. There was supposed to be a few announcements, one concerning the new contestants. However, having never heard or seen of any newcomers, I doubted we would be meeting any new participants.

I had only time to talk to the two tomorrow, and they were anxious to find out about every detail about what went on between Zelda and I. The battle between the Ice Climbers, Mewtwo, and Bowser yesterday ended with a triumphant victory for Mewtwo, as the psychic literally blasted the competition away.

"Not really, but he was telling me basically to stay away from Zelda," I answered him.

"What a jerk," grumbled Pichu as he adjusted his goggles. "Some men can be so possessive. It wasn't like you were kissing her!"

"I know," I muttered. "Link is just probably suspicious of my feelings for Zelda."

"He probably thinks it's just lust guiding you, dude," said Game & Watch. "After all, if I were in your place, he would just smirk and ignore it."

"That's true, man," agreed Pichu. "Although I must say I envy you, Fox. I never get heartfelt hugs from any women."

We dropped the subject as we neared the auditorium, for we didn't want anyone to overhear us. Now quoting the episode of MST3K we saw, we laughed as we entered. Feeling good, we sat in the first row to the right, just like the Mike and the Bots.

When everyone was seated, the man who had insulted Pichu when asking for new members began the morning announcements. He told us the battles today (even though we all already knew), which were Young Link verses Mario verses Samus, and Game & Watch verses Donkey Kong verses Roy.

"Our next announcement is that new Smashers are still being debated. We will hold auditions for those volenteered at the end of the week. If you have any suggestions, please see the main office."

"Make us!" shouted someone in the crowd. The man looked around indignantly, but could not identify the one who had said that. That was because Pichu was bust looking around like everyone else was so taht he looked innocent.

The official then cleared his throat loudly and continued, "Well, anyway, we welcome all of you and your suggestions. Remember, it is important we find at least one battler."

"Make them dance!" shouted another voice. Mr. Game & Watch looked around for the "source" like everyone else, and his cover was secrued.

"And for our last announcement," the man started again.

"You're having a sex change?" asked Pichu, keeping his cover at the same time.

"We _have_," snapped the man, red with anger, "an annoucement from Princess Zelda Gaiden. Ms. Gaiden?"

The crowd applauded politely as Zelda rose from her seat elequently. When she stood in front of the group, Game & Watch and Pichu were shouting, "Speech! Author! Speech! Author and speech!"

"Thank you, thank you," Zelda said politely to the crowd.

"Speech!" added Game & Watch.

Zelda smiled, amused by the jokster who was still to be reveiled. "Well, as some of you may know, I have decided to change my transformation, as Sheik has been costing me too much in battles. This is nothing solid, but since Melee considers Sheik to be like a contestant, they required me to tell you all.

"Also, they want me to show you my new transformation, since they think it would be cheating if I transformed for the first time while in battle. So, here it is...,"

Raising her arms, and suddenly glowing a bright white, the clear music that rang whenever Zelda changed into Sheik rang throughout the room. However, when she was done, it was not Sheik she had changed into.

My jaw dropped; I could not believe my eyes.

Zelda was now very much like a Lylatian, half human and half vixen. Her body was covered with a thin, silky coat of blue fur, apart from the white fur on her face. She wore little, only a golden bra with white triangles imprinted on it covered her breasts, and a silverly loincloth was settling around her waist. Long, gold bracelets with hierogriphics carved in them were around her wrists, ankels and neck. She wore white sandals with a golden triangle on each. Her tail had two white bands around her tail, and a yellow headband on top of her short blue hair. She had on small, golden shoulderpads, and white symbols were glowing faintly on the top of her arm, looking like mystic tattoos. She wore a necklace with a green gem in the center, and a beaded tiara that had a red jewel in the center. In her hand, she was holding a long staff with a bright, gold, tri-pointed headset on the top.

Blinking her cyan eyes, Zelda looked at all of us and smiled pleasently with her new mouth. "I call her Krystal. What do you think?"

Zelda was now the most gorgeous Lylatian I had even seen in my life. The most beautiful elf I knew just became the most beautiful Lylatian I knew.

"I think your chances just increased," Game & Watch snickered as he nudged me.


	7. Arrival At The Airport

** Author's Note** - Wow, have I made a lot of people angry! I have the potential of a politician! Guess some explanations are up for... explaining.  
Star Fox Adventures has not taken place in this story at all. I've played the game and beaten it (I'd try to proof it but that isn't necessary and it would a spoiler for those who haven't beaten it). The reason why Krystal is an alternate morph for Zelda is because Zelda is Fox's love interest here! If Krystal shows up as another character, all it does is complicate things! I may one day write a Fox/Krystal story but not for this one. Those of you who don't like it, tough luck; it's my fanfiction (at least I'm not slaughtering them, you've gotta give me credit for that). If you want to continue complaining about Krystal and Star Fox Adventures, I can't stop you; go right ahead, and xehjovoukxohj ke oei if you do!  
About eye colors: Ness and Zelda are blue, got it. A lot of fictional characters have blue eyes, ever notice that? Mario, Zelda, Ness, Krystal, Falco, Slippy, Tricky, Peach, Kirby, Misty, Fox with Krazoa Spirit, etc. And Katt's name is Monroe, right-o.  
This is my first draft of the story, you all should know. When I finish it, I'll be going back and changing things; I'm not really aiming for publication here. All offending remarks from previous chapters have been removed but this ones stays. Calo nakx ak.  
That's all I have to say. Xulo vid houtadq!  
  
**Disclaimer** - I do not known any of the characters from any of the games or TV shows that they are from. I don't own anything, except for a little stuffed doll of Yoshi that I bought with my own money, so it's all mine; my precious!  
**  
  
Chapter 7** - Arrival At The Airport  
  
***Mr. Game & Watch***  
  
At the cafeteria of the Melee HQ, things seemed normal. A census taker was asking the Smashers whom they wanted to join Melee, friends were chatting with each other, and Pichu and I were dressed as Link and Young Link, singing a Mel Brooks song.  
We're men! We're men in tights! we sang as we paraded around, singing as loud as we could.  
Needless to say, Link was NOT amused. He ignored us, and keep looking angrily over at Zelda, who was trying very hard to suppress her laughter. Everyone else seemed to like our performance, even Young Link.  
After we had tuckered themselves out, we finally sat down to have lunch. Then the census taker approached us and asked us who we wanted to recruit from our home worlds.  
_More women! We demand additional women!_  
My voice rang out around the cafeteria, which was good. I wanted that; I wanted my request to be heard!  
The lady who was asking people which new members could join Melee raised an eyebrow to my statement. She looked down at Pichu, and asked, Same for you?  
No, not really- he started, but I interrupted.  
Quiet, you fool! I'm single! And desperate! We need more women! All we have are Peach, Samus, a couple female Pokémon, and Zelda! ... And Krystal. Does Krystal count?  
Zelda's new alter-ego was a roaring success. She not only had boosted in polls to the favorite Smasher but also had creamed everyone in the second tournament (including me but I came close, really I did). She seldom transformed into Sheik and always seemed to be uncomfortable. That doesn't surprise me, seeing as to how tight Sheik's outfit is.  
I think counting Krystal is fair, Pichu added. She always to be like a completely different person than Zelda to me.  
What about men? the lady asked me, sounding amused by all this.  
You've got enough men! I continued to roar. You cannot swing a dead squirrel around without hitting a man! Fox, Marth, Roy, Link, Falcon, Mario, Luigi... forget Melee, we can do _The Bachlorette_!  
The lady chuckled at this, then said, Well, let me know if you have anyone in mind. How about you, cutie? she turned to Pichu, whose ears shot up at cutie.'  
Are you talking to me? Pichu asked incredulously. You meant Mr. Game & Watch, right?  
I haven't been called me cutie' since I had a 2-D pacifier stuck in my mouth, dude.  
Nobody ever calls me that anymore! At least, not after my opinion on Jar Jar leaked out!  
I never was that interested in Star Wars in the first place, the lady said honestly.  
Pichu beamed at her. An indifferent opinion was better than a negative one to him. He started to say his requests but I didn't listen much. I was too busy thinking of who I could request to join Melee.  
No one back at Flat Zone was really a fighter. I only joined because the authority figures wanted Flat Zone to be known again; we had been very popular about twenty years ago, but drifted into the back, just another form of life that has two dimensions.  
At first, they wanted to send the Octopus! Can you believe that? That giant, slime beast with too many arms that tried to grab you if you happened to be treasure-hunting! When I heard about this, I ran to them, exclaiming that I would be a much better choice. I had had past jobs in everything that had made Flat Zone famous: cook, fireman, cleanup crew, manhole replacer, mole whacker, scuba diver, racer, bug exterminator, sky diver, animal care, locksmith, juggler, and bell ringer. They at first thought that I was applying for a job and was sounding off my resumé.  
When they sent me, Flat Zone became immediately popular again. Everyone was intrigued by my flatness (hee hee hee), and by my wide variety of moves. People back home send me fan mail, saying how I am the perfect 2-D man to represent Flat Zone; that makes me blush, which is hard to do. The jokers like to add how my flatness is an inspiration to them all, especially the women (ha ha ha, just kidding).  
When I first met Pichu, we instantly got along as well as... er, well, I don't know any of those stupid analogies that some people use. I make up my own, so I'll just say Pichu and I get along very well. Pretty darn well; that's how we get together.  
The others are all fine, save the pole-nosed Ganondork and fat-faced Cowser. Fox is really cool but he hasn't been in good spirits ever since Falco's death, and I cannot blame him. Zelda's a real charmer, one whom turns heads everywhere, full 360 even; yet I heard she is a pretty slow learner or something like that. Everyone else is cool in their own way.  
Now we are going to have new members to group. I believe that the heads of Melee are nothing but politically correct men and women who only care about ratings. Mario's the only one of us Melee members who has some say in it, since he has been around for so long. There's just no arguing with Mario; he's the man.  
So who do you think will be entered into our tournament? Pichu asked me. He had apparently finished chatting with the lady, who was now talking to Peach, Luigi and Mario.  
Dunno. Hey, let's go talk to Fox. There's an episode of _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ on in two days!  
But the new battlers come to the airport at the same time _MST3K_ is on!  
So? They're not going to pick anyone we want to join! You should know that!  
Well, maybe. I'd still like to go, dude.  
After conversing the matter for a while, we decided to recycle the matter (I don't throw away stuff when it can be used to make brand-new conversations in the future). We both headed over to Fox, who was in his usual Deep In Thought' mood.  
Hey Fox, Zelda wants your hand in marriage, I told him as we sat down.  
He quickly shushed me, glancing frantically, whom was sitting closer than I thought. Sheesh, Game & Watch, are you trying to have him kill me?  
Link pays 750 Rupees to whomever kills an admirer of Zelda, and we need the money for _MST3K_ DVDs, Pichu explained. They're expensive, you know!  
Well, so long as my death goes to a good cause, Fox joked back.  
Speaking of the show, I spoke up, it's on in two days. Wanna see it?  
Fox shook his head vigorously. No way, man. I love it and all but I want to see the new Smashers.  
Someone coming from your universe? asked Pichu.  
Yep! Slippy volunteered as soon as he found out. He's been aching to join Melee, and the action here will keep his mind, and probably mine too, off of Falco's death.  
The vulpine teen was quiet for a few seconds, then continued, I just talked to him two hours ago, and the conversation was as long. We had a lot of things on our minds, and everything just came spilling out. He's one of my closest friends, you know.  
Sounds like he's a shoo-in, I remarked.  
Yeah, the Melee producers want another Lylat contestant. Seems strange, as Zelda's Krystal form is like a Lylatian.  
A damn sexy one to boot!  
Game & Watch! exclaimed Pichu in mock disgust. Do watch your crappy language! Fox chuckled, then leaned back in his chair.  
Still got the hots for Miss Pretty In Blue? I joked but Fox gave a little glare at me as a warning.  
She based her new morph off of you, dude! Pichu chirped. You cannot say that she's not interested in you! Or maybe Krystal's interested in you! You can't tell!  
You know, Slippy said the exact same thing, Fox commented, staring down at his food, Well, the first part of what Pichu said, that is. I told him all about my crush on Zelda ever since I got here, and he said that I should try to ask her out. When I told him about Link, he didn't encourage the matter anymore.  
I shrugged. Well, we aren't about to tell you to commit lower-level adultery, dude. Just be patient, and pretty soon, Zelda will be begging you to French kiss her!  
Pichu and I ran from Fox's playful swat, laughing and making smooching sounds all the way.  
ALWAYS ON GUARD DEFENDING THE PEOPLES' RIGHTS! I exclaimed as I left the cafeteria.  
  
***Fox McCloud***  
  
After lunch, I dialed Slippy's intergalactic number; he answered it on the second ring. He looked flushed and extremely happy, which was a great sight. The fact that there was good news, for I had not heard any in a long time.  
Hey, Slippy, what's happening? I asked him, a grin creeping onto my face.  
Fox! I made it! I'm gonna be in Melee! he cheered. He was practically jumping up and down with joy; Slippy was always one to get overexcited.  
That's great, Slip'! It's going to be great to see you again face to face!  
Yeah, it sure is! Just don't tell anyone, okay? I really wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I figured that I could tell you and all. The people at Melee seem to be pretty stern; boy, their representative was rude! You should have heard him, Fox!  
Slippy then dropped his high-pitched voice to a dumb-sounding, low-key person, saying things like, You are not allowed to converse with others about blah blah and blah blah! The impersonation made me laugh out loud.  
After he was done, Slippy's face suddenly became grim. Hey, Fox, have they found out anything about..., you know, Falco?  
I sighed and said, Nope, nothing yet, buddy. I'm clueless myself.  
Dropping the matter quickly, Slippy started to talk about Katt. He said that she was doing fine but seeing a psychiatrist because of her emotional problems. The topic was depressing, but it was good to hear that she was recovering.  
So, Fox buddy, Slippy said after he was done telling me about Katt, tell me about my new Melee pals!  
I grinned, and started with Mr. Game & Watch and Pichu. Slippy wanted to hear every detail, just like he does when he builds things. He seemed intrigued by Game & Watch being 2-D, and wanted to know how a being like him like that survived.  
Beats me, I told him. When I asked him, he said, Yeah, me too'.  
I then told him about Ganondorf and Bowser, warning him about their attitudes. The bandages had all come off by now, but it still hurt to move my wrist; I was just glad it had recovered fully. Then I told him about Mewtwo, who was a shady character whom seemed to not be on the polite side either. After explaining the less-than-friendly members, I told him about everyone else, saving Zelda for last since he knew about her.  
Has she broken up with her boyfriend yet? Slippy asked me.  
No, not yet.  
Bummer, Fox. From what you told me about Link, he doesn't sound like the warmest guy.  
You just need to know him better, I said, trying to convince myself at the same time.  
Well dude, don't lose faith! ..., he paused for a minute to look at his watch. Woah, Fox, I gotta go! I have to pack, say good-bye to everyone, and a million other things! The flights going to be long, and I doubt that I'll have many people to talk to! See you in two days, Fox!  
Bye, Slip'! I called, waving good-bye until the screen went black. I sighed happily, and hung up the speaking phone. It was great to hear Slippy, and his usual excited, perky self. When he got here, I couldn't wait to introduce him to everyone, show him _Mystery Science Theater 3000_, and the Melee arena. He was going to absolutely love the technology, and he could maybe even help with it. I'd love to see him create new virtual-reality maps.  
  
***Third-Person, Two Mornings Later***  
  
At the airport near the Melee stadium, a great brouhaha was taking place. Everyone was either scrambling to get to their flights, to get off of their flights, or to catch a glimpse at the new Smashers. Since many races were at the airport, there was no telling who the new Smashers may be, unless they were a familiar face. The Smashers had all arrived on a large, unnamed cargo ship in order to stay incognito until arrival. Still, some of them were recognized quickly, for they were known throughout the galaxy.  
Passport, please, an usher with a slightly snooty tone said to an alien being. A furry hand extended, handing over the said passport. The usher looked at it, then at the large, bear-like creature. One of the new Smashers?  
replied the creature.  
The usher scoffed a little. Quite frankly, he didn't care about the Smashers or the Melee; he never found such things like combat to his taste. Also, he found it quite obnoxious that they treated the Pokémon like if they were equal to humans. Pokémon were meant for capture and being used by humans; since when did they get to be the ones to make calls? Equally disgraceful was that they had let some upstart Pichu into Melee, which was insulting to him as an adult. A _baby_ Pokémon having those kinds of privileges? It was disgraceful to humans and other races everywhere!  
The bear-like Smasher shifted a little, which made his belongings, which were draped all over him, clatter and clank. The big keg of ale he was carrying sloshed, and some dripped out onto the clean floor.  
the usher hissed haughtily at him, there is no alcohol allowed here!  
Oh, that's all right, the new Smasher chuckled; he had a thick Chinese accent. They let me bring this along for the ride! I gave some to the workers on the plane, and they all loved it!  
Then, right on cue, the loud shouting and giggling of a bunch of drunks came from another part of the airport. Security tried to calm them down, but the workers were so wasted they proved to be quite a handful. The usher was appalled but the large being in front of him chuckled and walked off to find his contact; he had been informed that it would be the other Smashers.  
If there was anything the usher could not stand, it was unorganized chaos! Yet these new Smashers seemed to be walking plagues of it. The one lady who had checked with him had drawn a very large, noisy crowd. There were two tough guys who had been pushing and shoving through the crowd, knocking people over and picking fights. A mysterious creature that was very short had hid behind a black cape and spoke very little. A monkey had been leaping and climbing all over the walls and handrails for fun. Now there were employees drunk as skunks because of another of those Smashers! What could be worse?  
Hey, buddy!  
The usher snapped out of his thoughts, and suddenly noticed the guy standing in front of him. His blond hair formed a ridiculous lump in front, and he had a boyish grin stretched across his face. He was extending his hand with a passport. The usher practically snatched the card, then looked at the grinning guy with incredulous bitterness.  
Your passport says that your job is Professional Pirate'! he snapped.  
Yep, I sure am! said the guy, pointing at the usher cheerfully. The best pirate there is! I am, and my wife can allege this for me, a _mighty pirate_!  
the usher replied mockingly. Well, we don't need your sort here. Please leave before I call security.  
The guy's smile faltered, but he also shrugged indifferently. Heh, like I haven't heard that one before. Listen dude, I'm one of the new Smashers.  
Oh, really? the usher said with mock surprise. They've sunk to hiring petty criminals for combat?  
Hey! I said I'm a mighty pirate, not some pickpocket you pick from a tavern! Speaking of taverns, are they any around here?  
This is an airport, sir, snapped the usher.  
Well then, I'll- the guy stopped when his eyes wandered off, and spotted the bear-like creature who had just departed. When he saw the keg the creature held, his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, and he let out a large cheer!  
Wowee! They have guys who hand out free Grog here! Wait up, Mister Beer Bear! Bye, rude usher dude!  
Before the usher could stop him, the pirate ran after the bear-like creature. The usher was now very frustrated, and shouted at the man to come back.  
I'll call security! Come back here, you little miscreant-  
Excuse me!  
The perplexed usher whirled around to see who was speaking, and it was a robot! A golden one to boot, and the usher grew even more furious! You are a service robot! You... you dare have the nerve to tell me what to do?!  
Boy, are you uptight! Hey, I'm one of the Smashers, and-  
THAT'S IT! I've had with you Smashers! I'm calling security!  
He stormed off to the phone and picked it up but a strong hand slammed it back into place. I would not do that if I were you.  
The usher turned to see a fiery-like creature smirking at him. How dare you?! the usher spat. You have no right to-  
Correct, o' Mister Snooty, _you_ have no right to behave this way! Or your face look that way, for the same matter. Now I suggest you let that robot and me pass, or I'll shove my passport into one of your orifices! And it won't be the ear!  
Are you threatening me?  
No, I normally assure severe pain to those I chat with.  
The usher opened his mouth to reply but then saw something that stopped him short: the creature had a long tail with a burning fire at the tip. The usher had always feared fire, ever since he was involved in a dramatic event where he was almost severely burned. Now he was very nervous. P-Please, go ahead!  
Thank you, dickweed, the creature said politely, and then headed back to the robot. Let's go, dude! Melee is waiting!  
The robot and fiery creature headed off for the exit, and the usher went back to his post, still shaken. When someone handed him a passport, he shouted in fear and surprise.  
A security guard then ran up to the usher. Alert security! We have a big problem with one of the Smashers!  
The usher almost sobbed in frustration. How much worse could this day get?  
  
** *Mr. Game & Watch***  
  
Forty Smashers in total!  
Mario was making small talk as we waited for the new Smashers. He tapped his foot, a bit impatient. Can you believe that? I-a always-a thought twenty-five was a lot and then they-a bring the maximum up to forty! How can we keep track of that?  
Beats me, Mario dude, Pichu said. Hey, you know who has been invited! Tell us who's coming!  
  
There were twenty-five of us standing behind the security gates, holding large signs that basically said, Welcome, new Smashers! and We cannot wait to kick your butts along with these guys here too! (Actually, that was my sign.) We had to wait for each of the Smashers to get through security and the registration, all that nonsense. Only Mario knew who the new ones were, for he was, as I've said before, part of the counsel.  
Come on, tell us! Pichu was practically begging him. I want to know if my friend got in! Can you give me a hint?  
I will say that some of the new Smashers-a are from places we've never even heard of!  
Fine then, Mewtwo's psychic voice invaded our minds. Let us just get this over with. I really do not want to stand around this airport all day!   
Why you so cranky, Mewtwo? Yoshi asked it innocently.  
Mewtwo didn't answer; it was staring off into space right after it had spoken like it always does. I couldn't help but notice it was scratching at a small red sore on his arm.  
What's that, Mewtwo? I asked him. Cut yourself shaving?  
Mewtwo glared at me, then grumbled, If you must know, I woke up with this damn sore this morning. I think it's a bug bite or something.   
Peach repeated, sounding disgusted and frightened. There are bugs loose in our rooms? UGH!  
Then there was a yelp of joy, which came from an exceptionally deep voice: Donkey Kong's.  
You don't eat bugs, do you, DK? I asked him incredulously.  
exclaimed DK. I snapped my head over to see a monkey wearing a red cap and t-shirt bounding towards the larger gorilla. The gorilla embraced him with a hug. How are you? Was the flight good?  
The best, Uncle Donkey! chirped the monkey.  
Awww, how cute, I heard Zelda coo, and Peach also fawning over the moment. I'm immune to mushy moments, being a guy and all.  
Next, two men headed towards us. Both were dressed in overalls and looked very sneaky; the main difference between the two was that one was short and terribly fat, and the other was as lanky as a pipe cleaner.  
the fat one acknowledged as he approached our own leader, extending a fat but strong-looking hand; he was wearing a sinister grin on his face.  
Mario was scowling at the new member but extended his hand in return. he addressed him.  
Hey, Luigi! the taller one cackled. Have you any new brain cells to brag about now?  
Nice to see you too, Waluigi, grumbled Luigi.  
I nudged Pichu and said, Looks like we have more trouble. Those two will get along just fine with Ganondork and Bow-  
  
The airport seemed to shake as Bowser's powerful voice made the walls tremble, and the floor quaked as he stomped towards Waluigi, pointing an accusing finger at him. You... YOU! the King of Koopas sputtered again.  
Who are you calling a you you'? Waluigi sneered back at Bowser.  
You are now in Melee?! That's good for me, for now I'll get my revenge! I haven't forgotten that beating you gave me during that party! The one where you stole what was rightfully mine, and in MY style too!  
Tough luck, chump! Guess you'll just have to try to avenge your scarred pride on the battlefield, Bowstooge!  
You know I will, Wa... Wa... Waloogie! I am so going to kick your-  
  
A young but menacing voice snapped Bowser away from Waluigi. I looked too, and to my surprise, a younger, smaller version of Bowser was standing in front of us!  
Bowser's eyes lit up with joy, the first kind of happiness I'd seen from him yet that did not come from others' pain. he cried out in joy, and went to embrace his son. He picked him up and darn-neared squeezed him to death but Bowser Jr. did not seem to mind.  
Are you ready to face Mario again? Bowser said to his son.  
Sure am, poppa!  
Excuse me! Someone with a thick Chinese accent called out. A large panda walked towards us, waving a furry paw. He was wearing what looked like ancient Chinese armor, and was carrying two objects: a large staff and a keg of ale. Many assortments were attached to his belt and back. Are you the new Smashers?  
Yes, we are..., Marth started, who looked very puzzled. Um..., who might you be, good sir?  
My name is Chen Stormstout, humble brewmaster from Pandaria! I have traveled far and wide for good ale, which led me on a historic journey! My deeds in helping a race survive caught the attention of Melee, it would seem! I know that I will enjoy it here at Melee!  
Nice to meet you too, Chen! Mario said as he shook his hand. However, not many of us here drink alcohol-  
WHOA BOY! HIC! Dat's... dat's good shtuff, Nech! Err, Chen! Wheee!  
A young man swaggered towards us, trying to walk in what seemed like twenty directions at one point. He had a large bundle of blond hair at the front of his head, and dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt and blue pants.  
Allow me to introdush myshelf! I am Bygrush Weepthrood... errr, Gushbry Woodthreep. No, it is Guybrush Threepwood! I would like to shay that Chen here ish the greatest man... panda... to ever walk de earth! YESH! Applaud for him, ladies and gentshs! He then fell to the floor, giggling and hiccuping.  
The others stared at Guybrush with incredulous looks on their faces, except for me. I smiled and said, I like him.  
  
A female voice then cried out; at last, women! I looked up from the collapsed Guybrush to see a young lady wearing a long, yellow dress running towards us as best she could in her high heels.  
Peach called out to her friend. She held out her arms, ready to hug her upcoming friend. However, Daisy never saw Guybrush on the floor, tripped over him, and crashed to the floor.  
Peach, Luigi and Mario run over to help her up. The bronze-skinned princess stood up on her feet slowly with their help, her blue eyes rolling around in a dazed state.  
she moaned. What happened?  
From down on the ground, I heard Guybrush laugh, Shee? Women are alwaysh falling for me! Hee hee hee!  
These are the Melee Members? came a voice from afar. Tripping over each other? I hope you all have more grace in battle!  
The newest member looked a lot like Kirby, only he looked nothing like him. He wore a long black cape, a gray mask over his face, and yellow eyes glowed from the slit in a hard but not menacing way. He then approached Kirby, and extended one of the hands he was hiding from view. Master Kirby, it is a pleasure to see you again.  
Kirby smiled happily as he shook the dude's hand. He then looked up at all of us and said, This is Meta Knight. He's a friend of mine!  
Suddenly, there was a blast of wind that made me shield my eyes from the cutting gust. When I looked again, there was a blue hedgehog wearing red sneakers standing in front of us, smirking the hell out of the situation.  
Long time, no see, Mario! the hedgehog spoke. He grinned as Mario happily shook hands with him.  
Guys, dis es Sonic the Hedgehog! Mario said, motioning to the blue creature. He's-a very famous where he comes from!  
As we all said hello to Sonic and the other newcomers, another being approached us. At first I thought the guy was lost and on his way to NASA, for he was dressed as a spaceman.  
Are you the Smashers? the spaceman asked us. I am Captain Olimar. Sorry I'm late, but I had to check with command that I had docked the plane.  
You flew us here? Daisy asked him.  
Yes, it was the least I could do for the services they provided for me! the captain's face broke out into a wide smile. I used to be only one of your inches tall until they did some... ah, modifications to increase my height!  
Like what? Pikachu asked curiously.  
It gets a little too complicated to tell you here. Maybe some other time.  
Now we have two captains, I heard Samus say. Guess they want to replace you, Falcon!  
You wish, he grumbled in reply.  
After waiting a few more minutes, the next person to approach us was... wow! I had to rub my eyes just to make sure I wasn't dreaming but sure enough, it was another woman! Yes!  
Hey, Link! the blond girl exclaimed, smirking playfully. She would have looked a bit more friendly if she wasn't holding a slender short sword in her hand. Her Greek-like outfit, complete with (yay!) skirt, and light blue shield made her look like some kind of youthful paladin girl.  
Aren't you glad to see me? she continued, still smirking.  
Oh, dear, this wouldn't be pretty in a minute. I looked up at Zelda, who was, just as I thought, looking at Link with a facial expression almost impossible to read. It looked like confusion, hurt and doubt all in one. Link, however, looked a bit annoyed.  
Hi, Cassandra, he said, not making any movement to greet her.  
Hi'? That's _it_?! she exclaimed, laughing a little. Usually those who face me in combat greet me with more respect! And don't think that I've forgotten you destroyed Soul Edge when _I_ was going to do that!  
Although her words sounded threatening, Cassandra was smiling mischievously; it was a wordless way of showing she was just teasing.  
Link rolled her eyes. That evil sword had to be eliminated one way or another, Miss Alexandra.  
Oh, are you going to call me that now? ... Hey, you didn't say one damn word the entire time you were hanging around Athens! Now you're actually talking! What's up with that, is your vow of silence down?  
Zelda was starting to look miffed and had her arms crossed. More than anything, I wanted the next Smasher to arrive before some kind of scene started. Maybe I should start one of my own, and Pichu would join in-  
  
A battle cry rang out across the airport as a figure came crashing down in front of us, shooting sparks out as it made contact with the ground. He looked up at us from his squatting position; his face was covered by a mask that looked like the Happy Drama' face. He wore a bright purple outfit with several doodads etched on it, complete with a samurai's hat and a flagstaff attached to his back.  
he shouted as he snapped to his feet. He held his right arm up, swinging what I now saw was a long, slender katana. Also to note was that his right arm was not a real arm; it was mechanical, with gears running on the outside for reasons I could not guess.  
I am Yoshimitsu! he declared to his startled audience of Smashers  
I am Mr. Game & Watch! I shouted proudly, not able to hold back a tease.  
And I am Pichu! my friend added, huffing out his chest.  
The half-crazed samurai then chuckled, his laughter echoing as it came from behind his mask. Very clever, young ones. I see that you are undaunted by my entrance. That shows great potential from the start!  
Well, the best impressions are the first impressions! said Pichu.  
Making an impression, Pichu? Impressive!  
Pichu's eyes bulged when he heard the voice. Everyone looked around to see a Magmar, which is a fiery, bipedal Pokémon. He was clothed in human's raiment, like sneakers, pants, shirt, jacket, baseball cap and gloves. He was smirking widely, a smirk that reached out for miles to greet nearby smirks.  
Pichu exclaimed in sheer joy, dashing towards his friend. Leaping up about two feet, the fire Pokémon caught him like one catches something big and heavy thrown at you at 30 miles per hour.  
Careful buddy! You're not supposed to kill me until the actual fights start! the Magmar exclaimed.  
Groucho then looked at the large bunch of individual beings who were watching him and Pichu. We've got an audience here, Pichu, he said. You wanna introduce me before they boo me off the stage?  
Guys, this is Groucho Alfred Magmar! He's a fire Pokémon who learned to speak English!  
Mainly because I was sick of getting vanilla ice cream when I wanted chocolate.  
And he's the funnierest' guy to ever walk and breath! I'd say Crow T. Robot would tie with him but he's a robot.  
Did someone call my name?  
Pichu's head swung around so fast I was afraid he might break it. His little mouth dropped as he began to stammer. Ka... ka... kar...-  
My jaw dropped as well! Crow T. Robot from _Mystery Science Theater 3000_! In the flesh... no, metal! Sure enough, from the tip of his strainer head top down to his scrawny legs that looked like they could barely support him, it was the golden robot made out of tupperware!  
Ka... kar... kar-  
My car? Crow asked. No sorry, you can't borrow it. Mainly because I don't own one.  
Pichu leapt out of Groucho's arms and hugged Crow's leg. I can't believe you're here! I always thought you were still trapped on the Satellite of Love!  
Naw, I got off of that ship a helluva long time ago! It was getting boring hanging around the apartment with nothing to do, so Mike got me registered for Melee! Anyways, it's nice to meet a fan! Did you ever see _Red Zone Cuba_?  
  
And don't you wish you didn't?  
Pichu wailed.  
I ran over to introduce myself as well, shaking hands with Crow and Groucho. They told us of how they had to shove the usher around to actually get here, and how they kept having to walk through the metal detector because of Crow.  
It was so great when they asked me to empty my pockets, and I pretended to pull out' a handful of fire! Groucho laughed.  
You should have been more careful, a female voice from nearby said. If you had set off the fire alarm, I would have been very upset!  
Looking around for what seemed like the millionth time today, there was Katt. She smiled as she waved at us; she must have remembered us from the funeral.  
exclaimed Fox, who walked up to Katt with a surprised look on his furry face. You... I..., he stammered as he stood there awkwardly in front of her.  
Surprised to see me? she said, smiling pleasantly. She then hugged him, and he clumsily hugged her back. I thought a little action and adventure like the old days would be good for me. Since you're here and all, I thought I'd volunteer for Melee. They accepted me pretty quick, I have to say.  
That's great, Katt! said Fox, who still looked shocked. Hey, Slippy's going to be coming soon! ... I mean, I think he is, do you know?  
Yes, I saw him on the ride! He must be packing up or something, because I didn't see him while leaving the plane or while being checked by security! She then giggled. You should have seen one of the ushers! When I told him I was one of the new Smashers, he ran away like if Andross's entire army was after him!  
Groucho's smirk became even wider at that.  
A man in a uniform then approached us. Uh... are you all the Smashers? he asked us, sounding distressed and worried.  
Yes, what is it? Mario asked, taking control of the situation.  
We... we have a problem with one of your friends! the man stammered.  
You can't arrest me! exclaimed Groucho automatically. I was provoked into pushing around the usher!  
No, not you! It's... the young frog that was on the flight. Slippy Toad, I believe his name was?  
Immediately, almost instinctively, I looked over frantically at Fox. The most horrible look of fear was on his face, and it told me that he feared the worst; just like I did when the man had used   
What's happened to Slippy?! exclaimed Fox. His fists were clenched so tight that his gloves looked ready to break.  
The man sighed heavily, and the terrible words came out, He's dead, sir.  
Fox slumped to his knees, holding his head in his hands. No no no..., he sobbed, shaking his head unbelievably as tears leaked from his eyes. He can't be, he can't be!  
I stared down at the floor, unable to think of anything to say or do; it was just too horrible to believe.


	8. The New Smashers

** Author's Note** - The new Smashers are important for the future of the story, just in case you are wondering. Why will be revealed later in the story, of course. And for those of you wondering how Cassandra and Yoshimitsu can be in this story when they are from the 16th century, they just are; just like Samus and Fox can be from the future and Link be from the past. Time does not stop Nintendo from bringing its characters together, so it would seem.**  
Disclaimer** - I do not own any of the video games, characters from the video games, or MST3K and characters from MST3K. However, if I were to... nah, never mind.**  
  
  
Chapter 08** - The New Smashers**  
  
New Smasher #01**  
Full Name - Diddy Kong  
Gender - Male  
Species - Monkey  
Age - 11  
Weapon - Melee attacker, mainly tail.  
Next-of-Kin - Donkey Kong (uncle), Dixie Kong (girlfriend).  
History - Diddy Kong is the young nephew of Donkey Kong. It is rumored that Donkey put his wild past behind him to be a better role model for him. DK and Diddy have shared many adventures together to stop King K. Rool's plans for stealing their bananas, destroying their island, etc. Diddy even rescued DK from King K. Rool with the help of his girlfriend Dixie. He enjoys kart racing, golf and tennis like his uncle does.  
Homeland - DK Island.  
Hails From - The Donkey Kong series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Punch, Punch, Tail Whip  
A Forward - Tail Lash  
A Up - Upper Tail Whip  
A Down - Tail Spin  
A Running - Cartwheel  
A Smash Forward - Major Tail Spin  
A Smash Up - Tail Uppercut  
A Smash Down - Tail Lashes  
A Air - Monkey Punch  
A Air Forward - Monkey Kick  
A Air Up - Frantic Punches  
A Air Down - Monkey Stomp  
A Air Backward - Aerial Tail Whip  
B - Banana (Diddy leaves a banana on the ground that if an opponent touches, they slip and fall to the ground painfully.)  
B Forward - Peanut Pistols (Diddy shoots peanuts at his opponents.)  
B Up - Tail Whirlwind (Similar to DK's B+Up, Diddy spins around fast and hovers.)  
B Down - Giant Banana (Diddy creates a giant banana around him that absorbs all projectiles but not melee attacks.)  
Throw Attack - Tail Whip  
Throw Upward - Tail Uppercut Throw  
Throw Down - Monkey Pileup  
Throw Forward - Spin Throw  
Throw Backward - Tail Throw  
  
  
** New Smasher #02**  
Full Name - Wario  
Gender - Male  
Species - Human (presumably).  
Age - 33  
Weapon - Melee attacker.  
Next-of-Kin - Unknown.  
History - Wario has a history for being a general nuisance in Mario's life. A wicked counterpart of the red plumber, Wario loves to pull pranks and steal treasure; there is nothing he loves more than treasure. When Wario goes on quests, you can be assured that there is money behind his reasons. Wario's partner-in-crime, Waluigi, can always be seen with him when kart, golf and tennis tournaments are up.  
Homeland - Mushroom Kingdom.  
Hails From - The Mario Brothers series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Punch, Punch, Punch.  
A Forward - Belly Bump.  
A Up - Upward Punch.  
A Down - Downward Punch.  
A Running - Body Slam  
A Smash Forward - Major Punch.  
A Smash Up - Headbutt.  
A Smash Down - Small Jump Splits-Kick  
A Air - Aerial Punch  
A Air Forward - Aerial Headbutt  
A Air Up - Uppercut  
A Air Down - Stubby Kick  
A Air Backward - Backward Arm Lash  
B - Yellow Fireball (Wario launches a yellow-and-orange bouncing fireball.)  
B Forward - Bob-omb Throw (Wario throws a less-dangerous version of the Bob-omb.)  
B Up - Greedy Punch (Wario jumps upward like Mario's B+Up, except shorter and stronger.)  
B Down - Wario Earthquake (Wario stomps the ground, launching all nearby beings, friend or enemy, and items into the air.)  
Throw Attack - Wicked Punch.  
Throw Upward - Wario's Rocket Uppercut  
Throw Down - Wario Squash  
Throw Forward - Wario's Strong Punch  
Throw Backward - Rag Doll Toss  
  
  
** New Smasher #03**  
Full Name - Waluigi  
Gender - Male  
Species - Human (presumably).  
Age - 26  
Weapon - Melee attacker.  
Next-of-Kin - Unknown.  
History - An epitome of sneaky, Waluigi is a crafty, wicked being whose favorite pastimes involving pranks, tricks and spray painting. Waluigi is Luigi's rival, and he appeared in the major tennis tournament to upstage him, making his first appearance. There is much potential and mystery in Waluigi, like why his eyes glowed with magic during the tennis tournament, and how he was able to easily defeat Bowser in melee combat in the third Mario Party. Waluigi's only non-sneaky pastime is kart racing; he hates golf however, for he is not good at it.  
Homeland - Mushroom Kingdom.  
Hails From - The Mario Brothers series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Punch, Punch, Kick.  
A Forward - Long Kick.  
A Up - Upper Punch.  
A Down - Squatting Kick  
A Running - Running Kick.  
A Smash Forward - Stretching Kick.  
A Smash Up - Stretching Uppercut.  
A Smash Down - Spinning Kick.  
A Air - Steady Kicks.  
A Air Forward - Strong Punch.  
A Air Up - Drop-kick.  
A Air Down - Stomping Kick.  
A Air Backward - Backward Kick.  
B - Black Fireball (Waluigi flicks a black-and-purple fireball that moves like Luigi's.)  
B Forward - Purple Torpedo (Waluigi charges up and launches himself like a torpedo, similar to Luigi's, only Waluigi can charge up for longer and shoot farther but does less damage.)  
B Up - Dark Punch (Similar to Luigi's B+Up, except Waluigi's goes farther up and does less damage in total.)  
B Down - Waluigi Madness (Similar to Luigi's Cyclone, only Waluigi becomes a cloud of cartoonish dust and fighting mayhem, and always launches any caught opponents in the direction he was facing.)  
Throw Attack - Sneaky Kick.  
Throw Upward - Waluigi's Rocket Launch  
Throw Down - Waluigi's Stomp  
Throw Forward - Tennis Serve  
Throw Backward - Turnaround Kick  
  
  
** New Smasher #04**  
Full Name - Bowser Junior  
Gender - Male  
Species - Koopa  
Age - 6  
Weapon - Melee attacker.  
Next-of-Kin - Bowser (dad).  
History - Bowser Jr. is the son of the King of Koopas, Bowser. Bowser once told his son that Peach was his mother, in order to get his son to kidnap the princess, an effort that was always futile for him. Bowser Jr. received help from an professor ignorant of the truth named E. Gadd, earning a paint brush that had many powers, like camouflaging his appearance to a Shadow Mario. Bowser Jr. tried to frame Mario for the crime of defacing Isle Delfino but the plumber foiled his plans with the aid of FLUDD. Bowser Jr.'s ending was happy however, as he spent the rest of his vacation relaxing with his dad. The two share a strong bond, as both want to get back at Mario for foiling their plans.  
Homeland - Koopa Kingdom.  
Hails From - The Mario Brothers series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
All of Bowser Jr.'s A moves are similar to Bowser's, faster but weaker.  
B - Paintbrush (Bowser Jr. pulls out a paintbrush and sprays forward, making the ground slippery and hurting those he sprays. The spray lowers the longer it is used.  
B Forward - Koopa Grab (Similar to Bowser's only weaker and faster.)  
B Up - Junior Whirl (Similar to Bowser's only goes higher and weaker.)  
B Down - Junior's Body Slam (Similar to Bowser's only faster and weaker.)  
Throw Attack - Mean Punch.  
Throw Upward - Shell Spike Launch  
Throw Down - Koopa Pileup  
Throw Forward - Koopa Chuck  
Throw Backward - Lashing Around Chuck  
  
  
**New Smasher #05**  
Full Name - Chen Stormstout  
Gender - Male  
Species - Panda  
Age - 42  
Weapon - Bamboo Staff and Keg of Ale  
Next-of-Kin - Unknown  
History - Chen Stormstout is a brewmaster from Pandaria. The race and their brewmasters are famous for making ales that are just as good, sometimes better, than Dwarven Ale. Chen has yet to make a brew that tastes as strong as he wants but he does not quit. On his travels to make the perfect brew, he joined up with Rexxar, a Beastmaster, to help save the extinction of the race of Orcs from a determined Human admiral. Afterwards, Chen set off on his own to find the perfect brew, and is still looking.  
Homeland - Pandaria, Kalimdor.  
Hails From - Warcraft III.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Staff Swing, Staff Swing.  
A Forward - Staff Jab.  
A Up - Staff Wave.  
A Down - Panda Kick.  
A Running - Keg Swipe.  
A Smash Forward - Mighty Panda Keg Bash  
A Smash Up - Bamboo Staff Uppercut  
A Smash Down - Ground Pound  
A Air - Spin Attack  
A Air Forward - Keg Swipe  
A Air Up - Bamboo Prod  
A Air Down - Bamboo Jab  
A Air Backward - Bamboo Backward Swing  
B - Drunken Haze (Chen spills ale around him, making opponents nearby drunk. Drunkenness makes characters move and attack slower for a few seconds.)  
B Forward - Breath of Fire (Chen breathes a cone of fire forward.)  
B Up - Ale Spin (Chen around madly in a circle, spilling ale around and making nearby opponents drunk.)  
B Down - Storm Earth and Fire (Chen fires a forward blast of electricity, then stomps the ground and damages nearby opponents, and then his body burns with fire for a few seconds afterward, hurting all those who touch him.)  
Throw Attack - Ale Keg Swat  
Throw Upward - Bamboo Uppercut  
Throw Down - Panda Crush  
Throw Forward - Panda Chuck  
Throw Backward - Ale Keg Bash  
  
  
** New Smasher #06**  
Full Name - Guybrush Threepwood  
Gender - Male  
Species - Human  
Age - 24  
Weapon - Mighty Pirate Scimitar  
Next-of-Kin - Elaine-Marley Threepwood (wife), Grampa Marley (grampa-in-law).  
History - Guybrush Threepwood considers himself to be the best pirate in all of the Caribbean Islands. He has battled the evil ghost pirate LeChuck four times, as the evil ghost wants Elaine for his own. Guybrush has been through many adventures, in which he married the beautiful Elaine, governor of Mêlée Island. Four times has Guybrush been marooned on Monkey Island, a island famous for its monkeys and legends. Guybrush loves Grog, an alcoholic drink, and makes wisecracks and jokes when adventuring. He is not known for being very charismatic around people.  
Homeland - Unknown, but somewhere in the Caribbean Islands.  
Hails From - The Monkey Island series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Sword Swipe, Sword Swipe  
A Forward - Sword Poke  
A Up - Upward Swat  
A Down - Squatting Pirate Kick  
A Running - Out-of-Control Crash  
A Smash Forward - Mighty Pirate Sword Swing  
A Smash Up - Mighty Pirate Overhead Swing  
A Smash Down - Monkey Kombat Kicks  
A Air - Comic Thrash  
A Air Forward - Monkey Kombat Kick  
A Air Up - Upward Punch  
A Air Down - Downward Thrust Kick  
A Air Backward - Clumsy Back Kick  
B - Murray the Evil Skill (Guybrush chucks a bouncing, evil-laughing Murray on the field; similar to Mario's fireball.)  
B Forward - Grog Can Toss (Guybrush chucks an exploding can of Grog, making those hit by it drunk.)  
B Up - Monkey Kombat High Kick (Letting out a mighty, well somewhat mighty, yell, Guybrush kicks upwards, propelling his body with him; he then comes plummeting to the ground, hurting those he hits as he plummets.)  
B Down - Sword Spin (Guybrush spins his sword around him, deflecting any thrown objects and hurting opponents that hit his spinning sword.)  
Throw Attack - Monkey Kombat Punch  
Throw Upward - Throw Up, Yuk Yuk  
Throw Down - Pirate Cannonball  
Throw Forward - Pirate Cannon  
Throw Backward - Backward Pirate Cannon  
  
  
**New Smasher #07**  
Full Name - Princess Daisy Margarita  
Gender - Female  
Species - Human  
Age - 27  
Weapon - Melee attacker.  
Next-of-Kin - Father (king), mother (queen), Princess Peach (cousin).  
History - Daisy had always been overshadowed by Peach for the longest time. However, recent events have made her very popular on her own right. Like Waluigi, she made a grand appearance at the tennis tournament, in which she pared with Mario's brother Luigi. She was further seen at the golfing and kart championships, where she won over many fans by her tomboyish yet cute attitude. A lover of hands-on action but still girlish in ways, Daisy has become as well known as Peach now. It is rumored that she may be Luigi's boyfriend but the two have yet to show a relationship like Mario and Peach's.  
Homeland - Sarasha Land.  
Hails From - The Mario Brothers series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Slap, Slap  
A Forward - Backhand Hit  
A Up - Overhead Backhand Hit  
A Down - Stretch Kick  
A Running - Shoulder Ram  
A Smash Forward - Princess Gloved Punch  
A Smash Up - Tennis Racket Swing  
A Smash Down - Golf Club Spin  
A Air - Lash Out  
A Air Forward - Backhand  
A Air Up - Royal Uppercut  
A Air Down - High Heel Stomp  
A Air Backward - Backward Elbow  
B - Flower Power (Daisy uses a large daisy like Peach uses Toad.)  
B Forward - Sarasha Bombard (Like Peach's, only Daisy thrusts out her shoulder instead and goes farther but does less damage.)  
B Up - Flower Parasol (Like Peach's, only she falls a little faster and goes up higher when pulling it out.)  
B Down - Heart Shield (Daisy creates a heart that spin around her for a few seconds. Any thrown item that hits her is instantly transported to her hand; if the item cannot be hold or if she is holding something, it is destroyed.)  
Throw Attack - Princess Punch  
Throw Upward - Upward Palm Thrust  
Throw Down - Trip  
Throw Forward - Powerful Backhand  
Throw Backward - Sidekick  
  
  
** New Smasher #08**  
Full Name - Meta Knight  
Gender - Male  
Species - Star Warrior  
Age - Over 200 years old  
Weapon - Star Warrior Sword  
Next-of-Kin - Unknown  
History - Meta Knight is an honor-bound warrior who hails from the same place as Kirby. He is a master at melee and elemental combat, and prefers to use his sword while in battle. His motives are unknown but it is certain that Meta Knight prefers Kirby over the greedy, cantankerous King Dedede, whom he serves. Meta Knight will help Kirby become a great Star Warrior over time.  
Homeland - Unknown.  
Hails From - The Kirby series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Sword Swipe, Sword Swipe  
A Forward - Sword Jab  
A Up - Cape Whip  
A Down - Knight Kick  
A Running - Vertical Slash  
A Smash Forward - Star Knight Slash  
A Smash Up - Razor Overhead Slash  
A Smash Down - Twin Kicks  
A Air - Aerial Warrior Kick  
A Air Forward - Sword Prod  
A Air Up - Sword Upward Stab  
A Air Down - Sword Drive  
A Air Backward - Backward Slice  
B - Star Warrior Grace (Meta Knight powers up, then slashes his sword fiercely at any direction.)  
B Forward - Sword Cutter (Meta slashes his sword, sending a cutting beam of power forward.)  
B Up - Warp Star (Meta pulls up a Warp Star and shoots in any direction, making a small explosion when he hits a surface.)  
B Down - Sword Defense (Similar to Marth and Roy's B+Down, only Meta's does not reflect projectiles and can block those who try to grab him.)  
Throw Attack - Sword Hilt Bash  
Throw Upward - Piledriver  
Throw Down - Knight's Slay  
Throw Forward - Star Warrior Slash  
Throw Backward - Backward Star Warrior Slash  
  
  
** New Smasher #09**  
Full Name - Sonic the Hedgehog  
Gender - Male  
Species - Hedgehog  
Age - 15  
Weapon - Melee attacker  
Next-of-Kin - Tails (younger brother-like figure).  
History - Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the fastest beings in the galaxy, and he loves it like that. His adventures to save the world from the evil Dr. Eggman are known throughout the galaxy as much as his speed. Sonic has many allies, like Tails the two-tailed fox, Knuckles the Echineda, and Amy Rose, who has the biggest crush on Sonic. The blue hedgehog has to wear special sneakers that will not burn up from his incredible speed. Sonic likes skateboarding, pinball, and just running around to see the sights.  
Homeland - Earth.  
Hails From - The Sonic series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Punch, Kick  
A Forward - Sneaker Punt  
A Up - Upward Punch  
A Down - Sneaker Jab  
A Running - Spinning Body Ram  
A Smash Forward - Spin Body Bash  
A Smash Up - Spring Spin Bash  
A Smash Down - Spin Attack  
A Air - Aerial Spin Attack  
A Air Forward - Aerial Sneaker Kick  
A Air Up - Aerial Uppercut  
A Air Down - Sneaker Stomp  
A Air Backward - Spine Jabs  
B - Sonic Speed (Similar to Jigglypuff, only less charge up time and more damage.)  
B Forward - Ring Toss (Sonic throws a ring forward that damages upon impact.)  
B Up - Sonic Blade Boost (Sonic turns into a spiked ball and launches in any direction.)  
B Down - Bounce Attack (Sonic curls up in a ball, shoots into the air, and then comes hammering down to do major damage to opponents.)  
Throw Attack - Hedgehog Kick  
Throw Upward - Skyrocket Sonic  
Throw Down - Pinned Spin Attack  
Throw Forward - Supersonic Punch  
Throw Backward - Backward Spin Launch  
  
  
** New Smasher #10**  
Full Name - Captain Olimar  
Gender - Male  
Species - Unknown alien species.  
Age - 38  
Weapon - Melee attacker and Pikmin.  
Next-of-Kin - Wife, two children (one daughter, one son).  
History - Captain Olimar is an experienced spaceship driver, and a born leader. One day, on a vacation from his hardworking job, Olimar's ship was struck by a meteorite and he crashed on Earth! With the aid of a plant-like race called Pikmin, Olimar was able to find the missing parts of his ship and then go back home. He found out that the company he worked for went bankrupt in his absence, and had to travel back to the Pikmin to earn enough money for the company he worked for. Olimar and his Pikmin are incredibly small by human standards but have been enlarged for Melee.  
Homeland - Hocotate  
Hails From - Pikmin and Pikmin 2.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Punch, Punch  
A Forward - Antenna Whip  
A Up - Antenna Swing  
A Down - Boot Kick  
A Running - Helmet Crash  
A Smash Forward - Pikmin Bash (Olimar can pull out one of five Pikmin to attack, and the following list starts with highest damage and lowest attack to lowest damage and fastest attack: Purple, Red, Blue, Yellow, White.)  
A Smash Up - Overhead Pikmin Swing  
A Smash Down - Downward Pikmin Swing  
A Air - Punch  
A Air Forward - Spacesuit Kick  
A Air Up - Antenna Whip  
A Air Down - Jetpack Fire  
A Air Backward - Antenna Back Lash  
B - Element Pikmin (Olimar pulls out a Pikmin that breathes fire (Red), bubbles (Blue) or electricity (Yellow) for a few seconds, coughs and then Olimar puts it away.)  
B Forward - Pikmin Toss (Olimar throws a Pikmin that latches onto opponents for a few seconds, causing damage; up to six Pikmin can attach to an opponent, and the amount of damage they do is listed above.)  
B Up - Flower Pikmin (Olimar shoots into the air with his jetpack, then comes slowly down to earth, using a flower-headed Pikmin as a Parasol. Like Peach's, only Olimar is rocking so much that touching him rather than the hurts.  
B Down - Bomb Rock (Olimar releases a Yellow Pikmin holding a Bomb Rock; it runs across the arena until it makes contact with an object or falls off a ledge, and then the Rock blows up; the Yellow Pikmin flies off of the arena, shouting in pleasure as if it were riding a rollercoaster.)  
Throw Attack - Antenna Whip  
Throw Upward - Olimar Toss  
Throw Down - Pikmin Pileup  
Throw Forward - Olimar's Power Throw  
Throw Backward - Olimar's Backward Power Throw  
  
  
** New Smasher #11**  
Full Name - Cassandra Alexandra  
Gender - Female  
Species - Human  
Age - 21  
Weapon - Omega Sword and Nemea Shield.  
Next-of-Kin - Achelous (father), Nike (mother), Lucius (brother), Sophitia (older sister), Rothion (brother-in-law/Sophitia's husband), Pyrrha (niece/Sophitia's daughter), Patroklos (nephew/Sophitia's son).  
History - Soul Edge was the demonic blade that threatened to end the life of Cassandra's sister, Sophitia. Sophitia had traveled beforehand to destroy the evil blade on a mission for the Gods, and when a fragment of the sword appeared in Sophitia's household, it drove her family insane. Cassandra cursed at the Gods for allowing Sophitia to be hurt once again, and then realized that she herself had to destroy Soul Edge to save her sister.  
On her journeys, she met up with many of the beings seeking Soul Edge as well. One of them wore a green tunic.  
Homeland - Athens, Ottoman Empire (located in Turkey)  
Hails From - Soul Calibur series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Sword Slash, Sword Slash  
A Forward - Chest Slash  
A Up - Upward Stab  
A Down - Ankle Slash  
A Running - Nemea Shield Bash  
A Smash Forward - Omega Power Stab  
A Smash Up - Nemea Shield Smash  
A Smash Down - Omega & Nemea Low Blows  
A Air - Spinning Omega Slash  
A Air Forward - Shield Whack  
A Air Up - Overhead Slice  
A Air Down - Thrust Kick  
A Air Backward - Elbow Blow  
B - Soul Charge (Cassandra powers up, and she hits for much more for a few seconds.)  
B Forward - Dual Charge (Cassandra thrusts her shield and sword forward together, delivering a powerful blow.)  
B Up - Holy Sword Style (Cassandra twirls in a circle with her sword slashing out, allowing her to defy gravity and soar upwards if airborne).  
B Down - Guardian Strike (Cassandra thrusts her sword forward, and if it makes contact with an opponent, she kicks out to send them sprawling.)  
Throw Attack - Nemea Shield Hammering  
Throw Upward - Shooting Star  
Throw Down - Pay Back Stab  
Throw Forward - Guremi Rodeo  
Throw Backward - Exile Order  
  
  
** New Smasher #12**  
Full Name - Yoshimitsu  
Gender - Male  
Species - Human  
Age - Unknown  
Weapon - Katana (named Yoshimitsu after himself)  
Next-of-Kin - None; entire clan was murdered by a cruel warlord.  
History - Little is known about Yoshimitsu, a man who has always been fully disguised. What is known is that he lost all those close to him when a warlord sought vengeance on his clan, and even lost his right arm as well; it was replaced by a mechanical one. Yoshimitsu traveled the world to find Soul Edge to avenge his fallen clan but after learning of its true nature, decided to destroy the evil blade instead. Yoshimitsu's own blade speaks to him, as it is cursed but the masked ninja himself is not evil. He always offers words of wisdom and says, in respect to departed souls.  
Homeland - Mt. Fuji, Japan  
Hails From - Soul Calibur/Tekken series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
Yoshimitsu, like Yoshi the Dinosaur, has a large second jump and no third jump. This is pulled off by spinning his Yoshimitsu katana and hovering high into the air; he calls it his Deathcopter move.  
A - Slash, Slash  
A Forward - Sword Tip Stab  
A Up - Uppercut  
A Down - Spin Kick (can be repeated six times, then Yoshimitsu collapses).  
A Running - Overhead Samurai Slash  
A Smash Forward - Flagstaff  
A Smash Up - Kangaroo Kick  
A Smash Down - Spinning Blade  
A Air - Twirling Katana  
A Air Forward - Ninja Kick  
A Air Up - Faster Deathcopter Bladespin  
A Air Down - Aerial Kangaroo Kick   
A Air Backward - Flagstaff Swat  
B - Soul Charge (Yoshimitsu powers up, and hits harder for a few seconds.)  
B Forward - Spinning Sword (Yoshimitsu holds his arm out and spins his sword in a circle, destroying projectiles and damaging any opponents who make contact with the spinning blade.)  
B Up - Meditation (Yoshimitsu sits down and begins meditating, slowly regaining health.)  
B Down - Sword Pogo (Yoshimitsu will balance on his blade and hop around the field, stabbing those under him. If he is airborne, he will come down stabbing.)  
Throw Attack - Door Knocker  
Throw Upward - Tornado Drop  
Throw Down - Nimbus  
Throw Forward - Soul Siphon (steals a little health)  
Throw Backward - Jaw Smash  
  
  
** New Smasher #13**  
Full Name - Groucho Alfred Magmar  
Gender - Male  
Species - Magmar, Pokémon  
Age - 17  
Weapon - Fire and melee attacks.  
Next-of-Kin - Father, mother, younger sister (all Magmars).  
History - Magmars are rare creatures, which is why few trainers ever have the luck or skill to possess one the powerful spitfire Pokémon. They normally are passive or aggressive but Groucho is different than all others. He is a smart-aleck Magmar who prefers to wear human clothing, and learned to speak human English when he was very young. His trainer is not a particularly bright one, so Groucho does not mind spending time away from him. Groucho met Pichu while he and his trainer were traveling, and the two loud, witty Pokémon formed a strong friendship. Groucho secretly dreams of being as popular of Pokémon as Pikachu is.  
Homeland - Stone Mountains region (located near Kanto, where trainer is from).  
Hails From - Pokémon series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Fire Punch, Fire Punch, Fire Kick  
A Forward - Swatting Blow  
A Up - Overhead Fanning Motion  
A Down - Foot Stomp  
A Running - Screaming Body Slam  
A Smash Forward - Eye Gouge  
A Smash Up - Upwards Fire Punch  
A Smash Down - Fire Geysers  
A Air - Lashing Limbs  
A Air Forward - Shooing Swat  
A Air Up - Headbutt  
A Air Down - Blaze Kick  
A Air Backward - Back Spines Thrust  
B - Fire Blast (Groucho powers up to launch a five-point blast of fire. The longer it is held, the more powerful it is; at it's highest peak, it breaks shields.)  
B Forward - Beat Up (Groucho throws himself forward, and if he touches an opponent, he can grab them in a throw-like grip; there, he can deliver painful blows before throwing them away. For male captives, Groucho gut punches them; for female captives, Groucho delivers a fiery kiss.)  
B Up - Overheat (Groucho launches upward in a volcanic explosion, damaging those near him.)  
B Down - Fire Spin (Groucho spins around in a circle, blowing flames around him to damage nearby opponents. If held too long, Groucho falls to the floor dizzy.)  
Throw Attack - Eye Poke  
Throw Upward - Volcanic Uppercut  
Throw Down - Spine Back Skewer  
Throw Forward - Dynamic Punch  
Throw Backward - Vital Throw  
  
  
** New Smasher #14**  
Full Name - Crow T. Robot  
Gender - Masculine robot.  
Species - Robotic.  
Age - 10  
Weapon - Bad movie reel.  
Next-of-Kin - Tom Servo (brother-like robot), Joel Robitson (Crow's creator), Mike Nelson (adoptive father-like figure), Gypsy (sister-like robot), Cambot (brother-like robot).  
History - Crow was built by Joel Robitson when the innocent man was shot into space aboard a spaceship called the Satellite of Love by mad scientists. The evil beings' intentions were to find the worst movie ever made, and then to release it to Earth so that they would dominate mankind and rule the world. However, Crow, his fellow robot Tom Servo, and Joel possessed quick-witted humor in order to survive the sheer psychological torture the movies offered. When Joel escaped, the evil beings kidnapped a man named Mike, who took after Crow and the other robots. Eventually, the crew of the SOL (Satellite of Love) managed to escape the wrath of those that had captured them and landed on Earth for a more peaceful way of living. Crow, however, wanted action again, and joined Melee, armed with a Bad Movie Reel as a weapon.  
Homeland - Satellite of Love/Earth  
Hails From - Mystery Science Theater 3000.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
A - Arm Swing, Arm Swing (continuous attacks make Crow whirl his arms around in an endless cycle).  
A Forward - Movie Reel Bop  
A Up - Head Thrust  
A Down - Squatting Kick  
A Running - Gold Body Bash  
A Smash Forward - Bad Movie Pounding  
A Smash Up - Reel Uppercut  
A Smash Down - Gold Legs Split  
A Air - Body Spin  
A Air Forward - Movie Reel Bash  
A Air Up - Uppercut  
A Air Down - Fury Kicks  
A Air Backward - Upper Torso Spin  
B - Movie Clips (Crow launches a toxic part of his movie reel, dealing damage to any opponent hit by the projectile.)  
B Forward - Red Zone Cuba Rage (Crow pumps himself up, then charges forward in a fury of punches. This does serious damage but he has to rest afterwards for a few seconds.)  
B Up - Robot Roll Call (Illusions of Tom Servo, Gypsy and Cambot help propel Crow upwards, dealing damage to any beings he hits.)  
B Down - : The Hands of Fate (Crow creates a giant red hand in front of him that comes slamming down, damaging opponents who are hit by the slap.)  
Throw Attack - Beak Bite  
Throw Upward - Cheesy Rocket Launch  
Throw Down - Cheesy Monster Attack  
Throw Forward - Cheesy Punching Throw  
Throw Backward - Cheesy Super Strength  
  
  
** New Smasher #15**  
Full Name - Katt Monroe  
Gender - Female  
Species - Lylatian.  
Age - 17  
Weapon - Laser gun.  
Next-of-Kin - Parents deceased (names unknown).  
History - Katt Monroe is a mercenary like the Star Fox team, available for help when needed; she always comes in handy when Andross attacks. She and Falco had a relationship that was somewhat awkward, since the two were usually far apart. Falco also was the tough type, and never liked to admit his feelings about her. When Katt heard of Falco's death, she was devastated. She joined Melee to be with Fox, the only other Lylatian she knows.  
Homeland - Corner, Lylat System.  
Hails From - Star Fox series.  
  
Complete Moveset:  
All of Katt's moves are similar to Falco's, faster but weaker.  
B - Laser Shot (Katt shoots lasers faster than Falco but they deal less damage.)  
B Forward - Katt Flash (Katt shoots forward in a faster-than-the-eye-can-follow dash that reaches a bit further than Falco's but does less damage and more than Fox's.)  
B Up - Katt Blaze (Katt's B-Up move goes a little farther than Falco's but deals less damage.  
B Down - Reflector Shield (Katt's Shield sends opponents in diagonal directions.)  
Throw Attack - Kneeing Attack  
Throw Upward - Upward Laser Shots  
Throw Down - Ground Laser Pound  
Throw Forward - Punching Slap  
Throw Backward - Turn Around Laserfire  
  


***  


  
The new Smashers were here. Yet a more important case was Slippy's murder. It was most likely connected with the murder of Falco Lombardi, both friends and teammates of Fox McCloud; that was what went through Fox's mind countless times.  
An investigation was called for at the airport that took hours. Slippy's body was confirmed by Fox and Katt, and everyone on the plane was questioned. None of the new Smashers or the crew knew anything of Slippy's death, even though they had been on the same plane. That was a little easy to understand, seeing that the ship was huge, almost the size of a modern city.  
Slippy had been shot dead by a laser gun, four shots in total. From what could be gathered from the scene of the death, it looked like he had put up quite a struggle. There were small splatters of a slivery liquid on the ground nearby his body, showing that he had hurt his attacker before he was killed.  
When the Smashers finally returned from the airport, Fox immediately departed from the group to go to his room. He wanted to be alone, to mourn Slippy's death by himself. Yet even that was denied from him as he discovered a note on his bed. What was written on it chilled Fox to the bone:  
THE FROG CROAKED, AND THE BIRD WAS SHOT DOWN. IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR A FOX HUNT. BEFORE IT TRANSPIRES, ALL THOSE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOX MUST BE CUT DOWN. TRY TO STOP THEIR DEATHS, EVEN THOUGH YOU CANNOT.  
As Fox raced to the Melee HQ to show the authorities the threatening message, he was unaware of a figure watching him from the shadows. The being smirked at the frantic, tearstained face of the vulpine teenager.  
Kxoho nacc ro hiddadw jeed, Fox, the figure whispered evilly. U gacc xulo mo holodwo jeed.


End file.
